Cunard waves goodbye to Britannia after 170 years

Nautilus warns there is a risk of more shipping companies joining Cunard in 'flagging out' of Britain
The Queen Mary 2 arrives in Southampton
Cunard, the shipping line that owns The Queen Mary 2 is switching its vessels from the UK ship register to Bermuda. Photograph Scott Barbour/Getty Images

The government is being accused by the seafaring unions of neglecting the shipping industry as Cunard Line pulls up anchor after 170 years in Britain.

The Nautilus union has written to shipping minister Mike Penning saying a lack of coherent policies has driven the owner of the Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary 2 to switch vessels from the UK Ship Register to Bermuda with the loss of revenues to the Treasury.

"The recent controversy over the future of the Coastguard, the withdrawal of the emergency towing vessels and the loss of the Marine Incident Response Group all raise additional grounds for believing that shipping is not regarded as a fundamental part of the nation's transport infrastructure," said Mark Dickinson, general secretary of Nautilus.

Nautilus warns there is a risk of more companies joining Cunard in "flagging out" of Britain and undermining a valuable maritime cluster of shipbrokers, marine insurers and others in the City of London. 'The loss of the Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth will not only have a significant impact in terms of tonnage lost from the UK flag, but has truly immense significance in terms of the iconic symbolism of these ships, the long history of Cunard and the economic contribution that they make as UK-registered vessels,' he added.

Cunard, which used to have its headquarters on the Liverpool water front before moving it to Southampton, has argued it wanted to move because UK law forbids weddings at sea except by a notary or religious minister. This means it has to pass up lucrative business. The company, now owned by Miami-based Carnival Corporation, was founded by Samuel Cunard – a Canadian citizen – to operate passenger and mail services across the North Atlantic. Cunard in 1947 merged with White Star Line, owner of the Olympic, Titanic and Britannic. Neither Cunard nor the Department for Transport were able to comment.

This article was amended on 8 November 2011. The original said Cunard in 1947 took over White Star Line, owner of the Mauretania and Lusitania. This has been corrected.