BRITAIN relies heavily on foreign shipowners to carry its extensive seaborne imports and exports. Many of these companies have substantial investments in the UK, and are sizeable employers.
They also get caught up in the same problems that confront domestic shipowners and transport firms, such as port congestion and infrastructure constraints.
Yet most of them, including some of the world’s biggest container lines, have no real voice in the UK, and no direct access to the government.
That is because they do not have UK-flag ships in their fleet. Nor do they operate ships from the UK. Instead, they are represented through agencies.
As Britain’s maritime community considers how best to recapture the attention of the government after some disappointing setbacks in recent years, why not find some way of strengthening lobbying power by inviting these outsiders to join the fledgling One Voice initiative?
The Chamber of Shipping has already widened membership to include maritime services firms as well as UK shipowners. Perhaps now, it is time for its doors to be opened even further to allow other stakeholders to join.
Newly-elected president Martin Watson has acknowledged the benefit of inviting foreign shipowners into the fold.
Traditionalists may well object, but in a globalised world, restricting membership to a dwindling number of UK-based owners and operators may just erode the maritime industry’s clout.
What better time for some fresh thinking on the subject, when efforts are progressing well to establish an umbrella organisation to represent the entire maritime community at government level.
Shipping lines that serve UK ports ought to be allowed to join that effort, regardless of their fleet arrangements, should they wish to do so.
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