It has been another busy week in Westminster with the Prime Minister announcing his roadmap for the easing of lockdown restrictions. Although there has been some debate about the speed out of lockdown, it is clear the government wants the country to get back to some sort of normal in the coming months, but with a firm eye constantly on the data.

We have been speaking with members about what this means for them and on Tuesday I joined the Shipping and Aviation Minister Robert Courts to discuss the new Global Travel Taskforce which will present a report on the future of international travel to the Prime Minister on 12 April. We will be a part of the new Travel Taskforce and will be representing members’ interests in our meetings with both officials and Ministers.

The Merchant Navy Training Board has long invested in the training of UK seafarers and next week is National Careers Week. I know the team at the MNTB have lots planned to raise the profile of careers both at sea and across the wider maritime sector and you can read more about how you can get involved on our website.

The MNTB has also just new teamed up with Aurora Digital Solutions to create an ‘E-Learning and Immersive Learning in Seafarer Training’ survey. The survey aims to find solutions to how we can modernise and future proof seafarer training and education and the adoption of emerging technologies. If you have a few spare minutes please do complete the survey.

This week we also launched a photo competition with the winning entry adorning the front cover of the new edition of the Passage Planning Guide: English Channel, Dover Strait and Southern North Sea published by Witherbys. The winner will receive a free copy of the Guide.  This competition is open to anyone over 16, including members of the public, seafarers and workers around the coastal regions. If you would like to enter please find all the details of what you need to do on our website. Good luck!

Finally this week I am delighted to announce that I will be joining former Maritime Minister Nus Ghani as the co-host of the next Seafarers UK maritime quiz taking place on 18 March. The first event was great fun and raised lots of money. Tickets are now available for round two and you can book your place here.