Five cruise ships have been detained by the Coastguard after "concerns" about the welfare of their crews.

Surveyors acting for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) found "a number of expired and invalid Seafarers Employment Agreements, late payment of wages and crews who had been on board for over 12 months" on the vessels.

It came after inspectors boarded the ships yesterday.

The Astoria, Astor, Colombus and Vasco de Gama which are berthed at Tilbury Docks have all been detained, while the The Marco Polo at Avonmouth Docks, Bristol, has also been held.

All five belong to Global Cruise Lines Limited, and a sixth ship - the Magellan, has not been detained after no significant deficiencies were found.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: "The welfare of seafarers is of the utmost importance and we take any reports of safety concerns around crew incredibly seriously.

"Following today's investigation, five ships have been detained and we will not hesitate to continue to use every power within our control to safeguard the health and happiness of every seafarer currently working in the UK."

The ships will be detained until the breaches of the labour convention are resolved.

Director of Maritime Safety and Standards Katy Ware said: "This sends a very clear message that crew welfare remains a top priority for us both as a Flag and a Port State.

"We must care for the well-being and health of our seafarers who work so hard in the industry."

The Astoria departed the Mexican city of Manzanillo in mid-February and arrived in Poole in the UK on March 10, shipping records show.

It left Poole on March 14 and arrived in Tilbury the next day, where it has remained throughout lockdown.

The cruise ship Columbus sailed to Tilbury from Malta and the Magellan travelled to the Essex port from Iceland's capital, Reykjavik.

Both have been at Tilbury since April.

The Astor, which sailed from the port of Bremen in Germany, and the Vasco De Gama which travelled from Cape Town in South Africa have both been at Tilbury since May.

The cruise ship Marco Polo has been at Avonmouth Docks near Bristol since March 22, having sailed there from Aqaba in Jordan.

Global Cruise Lines, which has its head office in the Greek capital of Athens, is "designed to manage cruise ships around the world", its website said.

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