Brexit Impact on Shipping and Sea Trade in UK
Eversheds International says that UK trade would clearly be impacted by the Brexit vote.
"We saw an immediate effect on currency and share prices, although there are signs that the market is settling down after the initial post-vote furore," says a report by Eversheds.
In terms of longer term impact, there are some matters which are already tolerably clear, for example that any changes to the cost of trade with the EU are likely to affect freight volumes at British ports.
However, the precise nature and extent of the effect on UK trade will depend entirely on the form of relationship which is ultimately agreed both with the EU and with other trading partners. With the new British Prime Minister, Theresa May, looking to defer triggering Article 50 until 2017, that form of relationship remains pretty ‘uncertain’.
There are wider potential outcomes for shipping in the UK beyond the direct effect on trade volumes. In terms of the UK offshore industry, for example, Tradewinds reported recently that “when news of the UK’s decision to exit the EU hit the offshore sector, most analysts agreed that the longer-term damage for the sector would be from a possible slowdown in the world’s economy.
However, some warned the immediate and near-term effect would be that oil companies would obviously put the brakes on much-needed investment in the UK.
The UK continental shelf (UKCS) is already suffering from record low investment — at one-eighth the value of the annual average over the past five years — and the nation’s oil-and-gas sector is on course to have lost up to 140,000 jobs by the end of this year.”
There is also the UK’s position as a leading provider of maritime professional services to consider. The marine insurance industry is pushing hard to maintain the passporting rights currently enjoyed between EU member states, although whether this will be possible without full access to the single market (and the associated EU requirements for free movement of workers) is set to be the key topic in negotiations.
In terms of other professional services, such as legal and shipbroking services, there is some speculation that UK’s so called “stability premium” may have been affected by the vote.
However, the UK’s long maritime history, the reputation of its courts (which rely on an extremely well established body of specialist case law) and institutions and the number of highly qualified individuals resident in the UK working in the sector should help ameliorate any effect on this premium at least whilst Brexit is negotiated.
However, even if the premium remains intact the professional services sector may be rightly concerned about how services are dealt with in negotiating future trade deals. Such agreements traditionally focus on trade in goods and therefore may not be as advantageous to the services sector.
