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Maritime UK joins government initiative to boost exports

Industry group Maritime UK has partnered with the UK government’s Exporting is GREAT initiative in an effort to increase UK exports and help goods reach international markets.

The Exporting is GREAT initiative itself aims to provide support throughout all stages of the exporting process for small and medium-sized UK businesses looking to expand into overseas markets. The scheme is set to run until 2020.

As the initiative’s lead maritime partner, Maritime UK says it is working on a dedicated interface for trade management information, guidance and critical information that will help companies evaluate international business opportunities, including the destination import customs requirements and potentially beneficial trade programmes. The interface will also provide guidance on documentation requirements.

“This partnership demonstrates the seriousness that both industry and government place on driving exports from our industry. Through this initiative, Maritime UK looks forward to being able to provide specialist exporting support to UK companies across the shipping, ports, marine and business services sector, helping capitalise on the significant opportunities to export worldwide,” David Dingle CBE, Maritime UK’s chairman, said in a release.

Trade and investment minister, Lord Price, added: “This government is aiming to inspire 100,000 more UK exporters to seek out new markets and sell their goods and services around the world by 2020. I’m delighted that Maritime UK has become an Exporting is GREAT partner and I look forward to working together, to support more UK businesses and empower them to take advantage of the opportunities out there.”

The news echoes remarks made by Guy Platten, the CEO of the UK Chamber of Shipping, in the wake of the UK’s decision to leave the European Union (the so-called “Brexit”).

Platten told Splash the Brexit constitutes “an unprecedented lobbying opportunity” and highlighted the need for the UK’s government and maritime industry to come together to improve trade facilitation.

“Trade is at the heart of all this, shipping moves that trade, therefore shipping is at the heart of all this, therefore our industry is going to have a lot more government time than it’s had for ages and ages,” he said.

Holly Birkett

Holly is Splash's Online Editor and correspondent for the UK and Mediterranean. She has been a maritime journalist since 2010, and has written for and edited several trade publications. She is currently studying for membership of the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers. In 2013, Holly won the Seahorse Club's Social Media Journalist of the Year award. She is currently based in London.
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