Opening the Forum, the Maritime Minister emphasised the Government’s focus on economic growth, investment and global competitiveness, positioning the UK maritime sector as a driver of productivity, skilled jobs and private capital. He highlighted the importance of a strong, trusted UK Flag in underpinning investor confidence, the need for effective partnership between government, industry and finance, and signalled an intention to align regulation and policy more closely with commercial ambition to support growth and delivery. The emphasis on partnership between government, industry and finance, and on aligning regulation more closely with commercial ambition, reflects priorities consistently advanced by the Chamber on behalf of its members.

Speaking on the afternoon keynote panel, CEO Rhett Hatcher set out a clear, industry‑led perspective on the UK Flag’s future, welcoming progress and collaboration with the MCA, including the launch of the Innovation Hub and support for delivery of the eTRB. Rhett emphasised that industry support for the UK Flag is rooted in high standards, but that competitiveness increasingly depends on the end‑to‑end service experience, including consistency, timeliness and transparency. He highlighted that global operators are making live decisions on where to locate management, operations and future‑facing pilots, and that UK Flag performance therefore forms part of the UK’s wider investment offer, alongside tax, skills, infrastructure and regulatory stability.

Across the Forum, discussion reinforced the UK’s strengths as a stable, credible, high‑standard maritime jurisdiction, while underlining the importance of policy stability, predictability, partnership working and delivery‑focused engagement to support growth and investment.

The Chamber will continue to work, through our engagement with the MCA and wider Government, to ensure competitiveness is not just a slogan, but as something that must be delivered in practice.

For more information, please contact Stef Kenyon.