Meeting the challenges of the modern maritime world: Why the UK Ship Register matters

Shipping contributes £5.6 billion to this country’s GDP. It moves 95% of our international trade.
In other words, it matters.

And as part of that, a large and growing ship register is a fundamental part of any sustainable maritime sector. It attracts other supporting businesses like finance, law, insurance, broking, training.  It brings jobs, and economic growth.

With it, the UK also has a more powerful voice when it comes to negotiating international maritime policy. Without it, there won’t be the continuous supply of maritime skills and experience to operate ships or to support the wider maritime sector and other parts of the economy.

And at the Maritime and Coastguard Agency we take the UK Ship Register very seriously. We’ve seen the drop in numbers on the register. We’ve seen that something was preventing ship owners and operators joining us. And we knew we couldn’t go on ignoring the problem.

We need to make the Register more attractive to customers. We need serious engagement at a senior level with the shipping industry.

And I’m pleased to say that the MCA will be appointing a new senior role to address this: a Director of the UK Ship Register which is being widely advertised now.

He or she will primarily be focussed on attracting owners of quality ships to sign up to the UK Flag and working to secure the long-term commercial success of the UK Ship Register.

We are, after all, a world-class maritime centre and proud of it. We want to build and grow a UK Ship Register that reflects that tradition. 

Sir Alan Massey, Chief Executive Officer
Maritime & Coastguard Agency

Sir Alan Massey, speaking at today's UK Ship Register event
as part of London International Shipping Week

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