Seafarers check Christmas lists twice for festive goods delivered by sea

Nautilus is showcasing the reliance the nation has on its seafarer members in the lead up to the festive season, as a mammoth 'Christmas ship' heads for the UK packed with festive goodies.

Nautilus has highlighted just how much we rely on its seafarer members to deliver our Christmas, as a mammoth containership heads for the UK packed with festive goodies.

Triple E-class container ship Mette Maersk, a 399-metre-long vessel, has left China bound for the UK, packed with goodies which will ultimately adorn living rooms across the country.

As much as 95 per cent of everything the UK uses and consumes as an island nation arrives on UK shores by sea, and the 194849gt Maersk vessel is due to arrive into Felixstowe on 8 December 2019 loaded with gifts.

As well as the nation's favourite toys and presents, the ingredients for much of the traditional Christmas dinner is also delivered by seafarers, having travelled up to 90,149 miles by sea before reaching our supermarket shelves - more than three and a half times the circumference of the world.

The UK relies on the maritime industry and seafarers all year round, not just at Christmas, with the sector supporting £40 billion in business turnover and 185,700 jobs. Despite the UK's reliance on the industry, the number of seafarers active in the UK has fallen by 75 per cent since 1975.

General secretary of Nautilus International Mark Dickinson said: 'Many people are unaware of how imports reach us as an island nation, but the fact is that almost everything comes to us by sea.

'It is a simple fact that without seafarers – working in often challenging conditions and spending significant periods of time away from home – we wouldn’t have Christmas as we know it.

'We must recognise, protect and celebrate the incredible work of our maritime professionals to safeguard our economic resilience as well as wish them a Merry Christmas wherever they are in the world.'