London International Shipping Week (LISW) opened this morning at the London Stock Exchange (LSE) with the Department for Transport pledging to ‘do whatever it takes’ to ensure London remains a leading maritime centre.
“We are ready for growth,” Robert Goodwill MP, parliamentary under-secretary of state for transport, told IHS Maritime.
“London and the whole of the UK is attracting massive investment, particularly into its ports, which is a sign of strength of the sector,” he said.
After opening the market, Goodwill officially launched the government’s maritime growth strategy pledging commitment to training.
The study entitled “Keeping the UK Competitive in a Global Market – Moving Britain Ahead,” is a sure sign of a need to boost Britain in the sector.
“London is one of the easiest countries in the world to do business with,” he told IHS Maritime.
“We have great business sophistication. We are competitive and we will do whatever it takes to ensure that London remains a leading centre.”
“We are ready for growth and LSE is the perfect setting to start the week,” he said proudly, on pushing the button for the opening of the market and start of LISW.
“The association between LSE and shipping are great, our history is so intertwined and there is so much focus around shipping. London is such an attractive place for it.”
Committed to getting the red ensign on the back of more vessels, Goodwill said that the government also plans to ensure greater training of cadets.
Llewellyn Bankes-Hughes, Director of London International Shipping week confidently told IHS Maritime, “Our key message is that we are open for business.”
“Everyone is here and we want to see people doing more shipping business here,” he said.
LISW from 7 to 14 September will host over 100 industry functions and networking opportunities focused on bringing together leaders from across the shipping industry; ship owners, ship managers, bunker suppliers, lawyers, ship brokers, bankers, insurers, commodity traders, port operators, and shipping service providers.
The UK remains a leading centre worldwide accounting for 21% of premiums in international marine insurance, over USD64 billion in committed ship finance (or 15% of the world loan book) and has the largest concentration of legal service firms specialising in the sector.
London continues to be a major port and trading hub, home to the UK’s busiest inland waterway for freight, passengers and a centre for sporting events.
London International Shipping Week is organised by Shipping Innovation – a joint venture between Elaborate Communications and Petrospot – in association with the Department for Transport, The Baltic Exchange, Maritime London, Maritime UK, the UK Chamber of Shipping, UK Major Ports Group, and The City UK, the independent promotional body for UK financial and professional services.
This post was sourced from IHS Maritime 360: View the original article here.
