Brexit: How is it affecting UK/EU maritime trade?
How isn’t Brexit impacting the marine industry in Europe’ is probably an easier way to start. However, first let us take a look at the positives;
Brexit has undoubtably shaken-up many European industries from Sales to Services and the UK’s Department for International Trade are doing a fantastic job to retrospectively connect all the dots, trying to enable as many companies as possible to continue both trading as they were pre-Brexit and take full advantages of the new opportunities that a clean-slate can offer them.
Apart from new importation rules, notably one of the biggest initial changes that has hit EU Maritime is the new immigration rules;
For vessels carrying out an international voyage (a navigation that either crosses from one countries territorial waters into another’s, or a navigation entering into international waters) domestic immigration concerns [largely] do not affect any changes, as before. This is my over-simplified interpretation of general immigration rules for internationally trading seafarers.
This may stand-out to any non-Europeans as quite a widely non-exclusive option, considering the close nature of so many borders in Europe! But, for a large percentage of vessel numbers, much of their work is often purely domestic. For example, the contracting industries, aquaculture, domestic shipping/ferries, and most of the small to medium size vessel sectors. Something that the UK is globally prominent in.
During London International Shipping Week 2021 the UK’s Defence Secretary and Shipbuilding Tsar, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Wallace MP announced the launch of the UK’s new National Shipbuilding Office. This announcement comes hand-in-hand with a new National Shipbuilding Strategy Refresh, which is due to be published later this year [2021]. “This refresh will encapsulate the broader shipbuilding enterprise, not just the naval sector. It will look at themes such as skills, exports, and technology, particularly the opportunities associated with clean maritime technology.” – https://www.gov.uk/government/news/defence-secretary-announces-launch-of-national-shipbuilding-office
It is also suggested that this new strategy will focus greatly on the UK’s ability to build, service and support the Small to Medium size shipping industry, emphasising on the largest (in numbers) portion of the UK’s ships register and one of the World’s largest commercially active <24m fleets.
So, ‘by casting its anchor outside of the European Union’s harbour walls’, the UK has unintentionally set itself a hard challenge for much of its maritime sector. Especially when it comes to access of skills.
That said, this does bring the UK a new opportunity to train, nurture and steer it’s own internal skills pool. But, it must also be expected that this new need will come with a respectfully higher price and waiting time as numbers begin to increase.
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The second prong to this challenge, particularly for the UK vessel operators, is that by ending its generic EU agreement for trade and immigration; the UK is left to initiate individual deals with every member state independently. Some proactive to encourage international trade and movement of workers with the UK, some [respectively] very against – favouring to advantage its own domestic industries that may have been previously heavily ‘UK dominated’.
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EU companies wishing to move workforce into the UK, such as Seafarers or Technical Staff for example, are now faced with a new 3 option Immigration System;
- Hire UK citizens, or those with the entitlement to reside and work within the UK
- Hire a Frontier Worker (Someone who has been depending on work in the UK prior to Brexit)
- Put your non-UK worker through the UK’s new Points-base Immigration system.
This also applies to any UK company hiring non-UK workers, though the effects are slightly different:
To be successful in option 3, you must;
- have a company registered in the UK and become an official ‘Sponsor’ of non-UK persons,
- be employing Officers only, as [generically] Ratings do not meet the qualification or salary threshold requirements.
Remember: These rules however are the same for all non-UK persons (EU or further afield).
The last oddity in new EU/UK Immigration relations is that every country (as previously stated) has its own immigration rules and although the UK’s rules may not be in everyone’s favour – at least they are clear and they do work! [Based on Workboat Association member feedback]. Not much can be said for some EU member states, who’s rules have been somewhat hidden or if known, who’s application procedures have been carried out with little haste to the benefit of the applying British candidate.
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Back to the positives; dust is settling and although there are occasional ‘fires’ to put out, the general consensus from many vessel operators is that for most trade and cabotage rules (although annoying that it is different for every country) it is workable. One benefit is that the various EU Port States who are well-used to welcoming British ships in their harbours, continue to be extremely helpful. It is well-noted that the countries where most problems appear to be occurring are closely linked with those Port States that the UK does not have such a good relationship with.
For me I believe that is one of the key words in all of this “relationship”. Much like a human relationship, the situation requires, patience, understanding, willingness, equality and a bit of ‘give-and-take’! Mostly because underneath all of the politics, bureaucracy and red-tape are in fact humans. Human civil servants, human vessel operators and human seafarers. It is very easy to forget in the overwhelming event of a break-up (political or personal) that behind all the resentment, anger, love, reliance, want or not; that by simply treating everyone with humane respect, tolerance and acceptance – time is a great healer and new relationships do and will form.
Decarbonisation is a good focus of attention for everyone currently, whichever walk of life you come from and no other sector is more in the spotlight than Maritime. This globally shared objective to significantly reduce carbon emissions from maritime activity is a good catalyst to form many of these new working relationships between EU member states [and associates] and the UK. To be clear, the UK recognises that it moves more imports/exports by Sea than any other transport modus combined. This, together with the Red Ensign being one of the World’s largest flag states and the UK having one of Europe’s largest coastlines (behind Norway, Greenland and Greece respectfully), gives it a brilliant Maritime interest to form new connections.
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Although Brexit was once the key topic on many a European’s lips, in the last 21 months this has replaced with Coronavirus, and it would be hard to talk about one without the other.
Earlier this year I wrote an article for an Australian Shipping Journal about ‘how the last 2 years have been for the European workboat industry’. I opened back then by stating that “it has been operationally challenging” and I still stand by that. Brexit has (by Murphy’s Law) been implemented midst one of the World’s worst recorded medical pandemics, directly affecting some 3.3 billion people according to the World Health Organisation.
Quoted from my previous article: “There have been challenges faced by the whole sector regarding supply-chains and movement of skills across the EU as a result of both Brexit and Coronavirus. The slowing of the world’s travel services led to the maritime sector being the “guinea pigs” of international travel, whilst border forces juggle a new, Brexit-led, cross-border regulatory regime with only a reduced number of key workers using the borders”. The Editor I was writing for commented back to me saying; “this is the same for us all, globally”.
He was right, and Coronavirus still continues to regulate much of our lifestyles; whether we work in publicly interactive environments, enjoy socialising under new protocols or regularly cross borders.
A gift from God (from what was sure to be a baptism-of-fire for the EU/UK Immigration Teams) was that the new Brexit Immigration rules were implemented at a time that no-one was traveling. This comfort for Immigration workers was felt quite the opposite for the Seafarers and associated vessel personnel who have been travelling throughout the pandemic to join ship, many becoming unduly detained at seaports and airports due to the respectful inexperience of the border staff meeting them at the gates.
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To round-up, the show is by no means over and the ‘book on Brexit’ still remains in its early chapters, but collectively as an industry Maritime is still making good speed over ground. Time is becoming the healer for many and Coronavirus may actually have aided this process by pressing the World’s ‘pause button’ at a time that was most important.
New relationships are starting to be forged and old relationships are starting to be rebuilt, helped by international face-to-face events now once again beginning to take place following a long break. Port states across Europe are remaining pro-active and communication between states in general remains very good. There are however some [geographical] areas of concern, though I am personally positive these will also be eventually overcome, to the benefit of both stakeholder nations. Not forgetting that the UK’s departure from the European Union does open previously ‘unaccessed’ doors to the wider World for similar new negotiations.
All in all, from a pro-European, British born now non-UK resident, I will leave you with the words of Charles Darwin: “It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive, but those who can best manage change”.
Kerrie Forster
