Department for Transport Launches new Maritime Strategy: “Maritime 2050 – Navigating the Future”

The Department for Transport has published its long term strategy for the maritime sector - “Maritime 2050 – Navigating the Future”. As well as setting ambitious targets for the future of the sector, the strategy provides a useful “where we are” analysis, by reference to key facts and figures, of the UK Maritime Sector today.

The publication and gives a welcome outline of the UK’s key maritime industries and the direction the Government sees them heading.

The publication, which is partly a response to the need, highlighted in the 2015 Maritime Growth Study, for a national strategy for the maritime sector, is split into 7 key themes including “the UK’s competitive advantage”, “environment” and “technology”.

In terms of the UK’s existing competitive advantages, the publication highlights the importance of key geographic “maritime clusters” (including, importantly, the Humber) as well as the jurisdiction’s “modern approach” to regulation and its leading position in “thought leadership”.

Looking to the future the publication recognises the importance of technology, referring to examples such as “smart ports” and digitalisation, but also identifies the continued importance to the sector of having a skilled workforce and the resulting need to support the development of human resources within the sector.

As with all high level strategies, effective implementation will be the main determiner of its success, but fortunately this appears to have been recognised with the inclusion of a series of “recommendations”, ranging from short to long term, aimed at progressing the key aspects of the strategy.

Overall the publication provides a useful high level illustration of the direction the sector is heading and the picture the publication paints, of an ambitious sector moving forward with purpose, should provide a welcome profile boost for the sector internationally. As mentioned, the key to the success of the strategy will be the effectiveness of its implementation, which will inevitably be tied up with the motivation of all stakeholders to push for progress in the areas identified. Although it is too early to assess how effective the strategy will be, the level of industry, academic and government engagement evident in the publication is certainly cause for optimism.

The full report and a summary of the same can be found here