The Industry
British Shipping – Key Facts

As an island nation, and with our long and respected maritime history, we have a central role to play in the world’s maritime activity. The UK’s geographical position and the volume of our trade make our waters some of the busiest for shipping in the world, with 95% of our trade by weight arriving or leaving at sea.

• Ships carry 90% per cent of world trade.
• Seaborne trade is forecast to increase substantially by 2015
• British Shipping is the country’s fifth largest service-sector earner 

• The shipping industry contributes £2.3 billion net to our balance of payments each year – which is larger than telecommunications, films and television and computer services.

Through the skills it fosters, the shipping industry underpins a wide range of shore-based maritime-related businesses in the City of London and throughout the country. This includes: 

• ship repairers, marine equipment producers and their suppliers
• financial and other services such as marine insurance, ship classification, maritime law and arbitration
• the headquarters of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), in London, which is the only United Nations body based in the UK.

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