Wage Protection for Seafarers
Prior to this Act, some seafarers (non-qualifying seafarers) who worked on international routes were not in scope of UK NMW legislation, even though they had close ties to the UK by virtue of working on services that regularly call at UK ports.
	As UK-flagged ships and UK-resident seafarers are more likely to fall in scope of UK Minimum Wage legislation, UK-based agents are less cost-competitive and UK flagged ships face a disincentive to employ UK resident seafarers.
	This Act encourages more comparable remuneration for non-qualifying seafarers on services which regularly enter UK harbours and thereby helps to reduce competitive distortion between domestic and international services, and those flagged in the UK and those flagged elsewhere1.
	NMW is a legally defined term under the National Minimum Wage Act 1998 (c. 39) (the 1998 Act) and this Act does not amend the 1998 Act to extend legal entitlement of NMW to seafarers. Rather, it encourages operators to pay non-qualifying seafarers no less than an equivalent sum whilst they are working in the UK or its territorial waters. The NMW is from April 2023 £10.42 per hour for those 23 years old and over.