Solent: Maritime 2050 report sets out vision for the sector

The Solent LEP is raising awareness of a new report, by the Department for Transport (DfT), which shines a light on the UK maritime industry, setting out the Government’s long-term strategy for the sector.

Covering the themes: technology, trade, environment, people, infrastructure, security/resilience and competitive advantage, Maritime 2050 illustrates the UK’s strengths and highlights the opportunities that lie ahead.

Last year, Maritime UK and the Solent LEP released a report by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr) that examined the economic role and contributions of the maritime sector in the Solent LEP area.

Emphasising the value and contribution of the Solent to the UK maritime sector, it showed that more than £77.5 billion worth of exports and imports are moved through the major ports of Southampton and Portsmouth every year. It also revealed that export trade from the Solent maritime sector, including to developed and emerging markets, generated an estimated annual contribution of at least £20b to the UK economy.

Anne-Marie Mountifield, Solent LEP chief executive and Maritime UK Council member, said: “The Solent’s maritime sector plays a vital role in supporting international trade and the UK economy. In the Solent LEP area, the maritime sector contributes at least £5.5 billion to economic activity, directly employing nearly 36,000 people. With uncertainty surrounding Brexit, we feel it is important to highlight the release of this report, which sets out how government will work with industry to ensure the UK is ready to compete globally for decades to come.”

Maritime UK chairman Harry Theochari said: “For the first time the maritime sector has a real long-term strategy – setting out what government and industry will do to position the UK as the world’s leading maritime nation over the coming decades in an increasingly competitive global context. The global ocean economy will double in value to $3 trillion by 2030. Competitor maritime nations are hungry for the prize, and Maritime 2050 will ensure that the UK is best-placed to capitalise."

The Maritime 2050 report is being launched alongside a social media campaign on the DfT Twitter account. Running for two days and using the hashtag #Maritime2050, it will share a variety of different digital media to help bring the UK maritime sector to life.