MEPs urged to save Europe’s maritime industry

SEA Europe secretary general Christophe Tytgat said there were three main ambitions in their strategy: 

1. Consolidate global leadership in complex shipbuilding and maritime equipment manufacturing
2. Regain strategic ship types for the European Blue Economy, for example in shortsea shipping, passenger transport and fisheries
3. Conquer emerging markets such as offshore renewable energy and carriers of alternative fuels.

An investment of $10 billion would be needed, as well as some 500,000 qualified workers, to build 10,000 vessels by 2035.

In a policy document that can be seen here, called Setting sail to build in Europe 10,000 sustainable and digitalised vessels by 2035, it says Asia’s ’aggressive subsidies and protectionist policies have eroded Europe’as competitiveness, leading to a substantial loss of shipbuilding capacity’.

“This jeopardises Europe’s economic security and its defence capabilities,” it says. “Achieving Europe’s strategic autonomy in the maritime domain demands a robust domestic industrial capacity to bolster and accelerate the production of commercial and military vessels. Currently, Europe risks to relinquish this critical capacity. To avert this peril, it is imperative for Europe to swiftly turn the tide and transition from merely a maritime actor to a sea power.”

“First and foremost, the European Commission – and by extension the EU Member States – need to treat the maritime industry as strategic,” Tytgat told Maritime Journal before the meeting, which was attended by 150 people including several MEPs and European Commission officials. “Like for other strategic sectors, such as chips, batteries, or hydrogen – sectoral measures will be key.

“It is now up to the European Commission to develop a strategy that will strengthen the (global) competitiveness and resilience of the maritime industry, including shipyards, maritime equipment manufacturing, shipowners, ports and port infrastructure.”

“European maritime industry has great innovative and technical potential, and we, the European Parliament, but also the European Commission, must live up to it,” said MEP Pierre Karleskind, who co-hosted a round table with MEP Catherine Chabaud. The green potential, in particular, is under-exploited. I have tirelessly promoted the role of our maritime industry in decarbonizing maritime transportation, especially through sail propulsion.

“Tomorrow’s green ships must be European ships.”