London Eyes Top Maritime Center Slot
London has risen from sixth place overall in 2015 to fifth place this year the world’s top maritime centre in Menon Economics’ Leading Maritime Capitals of the World report for 2017 – despite the uncertainty of Brexit.
UK Chamber of Shipping says that none of the other maritime cities in the top five – Singapore, Hamburg, Oslo and Shanghai – have had to deal with such a massive economic spanner being thrown in their works. And still London has strengthened its global standing.
London is still putting up a fight against Hamburg, Oslo and Rotterdam to be the leading maritime capital of Europe, although each is strong in its own area.
London holds the global top spot in finance and law, and Oslo in maritime technology. Rotterdam was Europe’s highest-ranked city for ports and logistics, falling behind Singapore and Shanghai globally. Oslo was named the world’s second most attractive and competitive maritime city, behind Singapore (naturally).
Despite London’s progress, it’s a shame that the Menon study covers cities rather than nations – not all of the UK’s shipping industry is based within its capital. Many are headquartered in regional maritime clusters such as Liverpool and Aberdeen. Indeed, Lloyd’s Register recently established its global technology centre in Southampton.
UK maritime sector is already taking steps to keep up with new developments, but not all of the initiatives are London-centric, says the UK Chamber. Work is being done, plans are being laid and government is being lobbied for change.
Exiting the European Union has caused uncertainty over Britain’s future, but Menon’s study shows that London has remained resilient and is as competitive as ever, perhaps more so. It’s just a shame that not all of the UK’s maritime offer can be taken into account.
