Mariners, aircraft workers and continental shelf workers

Mariners, aircraft workers, and continental shelf workers are treated as though they continue to meet the presence and past presence tests for the duration of any absence from the Common Travel Area caused by their job (PADP Regs, Reg 12).

A mariner is an individual who is or has been in employment either:

• as a master or member of the crew; or
• in any other capacity

on board any ship or vessel. This is when the employment is for the purposes of that ship or vessel or her crew or any passengers or cargo or mails carried by the ship or vessel. The contract of employment must be entered into in the UK. It must be for work carried out while the ship or vessel is on her voyage. This can be wholly or partly.

An aircraft worker is essentially the same as a mariner but whose work takes place on aircraft rather than a ship or vessel. Similarly to mariners, the aircraft worker’s contract of employment must have been entered into in the UK.

An individual is a continental shelf worker if they are:

• employed offshore in a specific geographic area; and
• working on the exploration, exploitation, transport, storage or offloading of oil, gas or mineral resources.

The area prescribed in UK legislation (Continental Shelf (Designation of Areas) Order 2013) includes UK territorial waters in the parts of the North Sea, the North Atlantic, the Irish Sea and the English Channel.