Maritime 2050: call for evidence

The Department for Transport invites evidence to support a long term strategy to secure the future of the UK maritime sector.

Maritime is crucial to the United Kingdom. The industry plays the key role in enabling international trade in goods, and makes important contributions to the economy in its own right. The UK has always been dependent on the sea for its prosperity. Around 95% of British imports and exports of goods are moved by sea, and our heritage and our traditions through the centuries have made us the home for all forms of maritime business, whether for trade or to utilise the sea’s resources.

The UK has a world-class maritime sector, and is a natural home for maritime business, but to maintain and build on this we must do more. The UK, with the government playing a key leadership role, needs to look at the long- term strategic direction of our maritime sector. We have to answer questions on how the sector can best meet the challenges and opportunities, both global and domestic, which may arise over the next 30 years.

This strategy aims to maintain the UK’s position as a global leader by examining the breadth of the maritime sector and imagining the industry as it needs to be for future generations.

Secretary of State for Transport, The Rt. Hon. Chris Grayling MP states: “The future of UK maritime is an exciting one. A future full of opportunities that we can grasp if we are ambitious in our vision, if we are prepared for change and if we are bold in taking the decisions that will ultimately shape the sector‚Äôs long-term success.¬†We need to think strategically and ask ourselves what we need to change now to ensure we have a world- class maritime sector in the future.”

This Call for Evidence asks for views from industry, academia and anyone with an interest in the ongoing success of maritime in the UK. It is centred around six overarching and forward-looking key themes which Dft believe will shape our future success:

• trade,
• environment,
• technology,
• infrastructure,
• people, and
• security

Find out more here.