Scotland

Commercial ship management is concentrated in fewer than 10 businesses in the West of Scotland, with Glasgow as the world-leading centre. Together, the companies operating in Scotland handle a growing number of vessels plying their trade globally, currently managing some 220+ vessels with a combined total of over 6.2 million gross registered tons.

Scotland in particular has a long tradition of young people taking up careers at sea (for example, it provides over 50% of the annual intake of Trainee Officers to the Merchant Navy). Significant career opportunities are also evident in areas such as shipping management and shipbuilding, which reflect the nation's industrial heritage. It is home to the largest provider of Trainee Officers, Clyde Marine Training, which accounts for over 55% of UK Trainee Officers. Glasgow College of Nautical Studies is one of the seven main maritime training institutions.

Key facts about the British Shipping Industry

• The UK's waters are some of the busiest in the world for shipping.
• 95% of our trade arrives or leaves by sea.
• Ships carry 90% of world trade and is forecast to almost double over the next 15 years.
• There is a wide range of shore–based maritime–related businesses throughout the UK, including:
  1. ship repairers, marine equipment producers
  2. marine insurance, ship classification, maritime law and arbitration
  3. the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), in London, which is the only United Nations body based in UK.
• Without shipping, intercontinental trade would not be possible.
• Shipping is the most environmentally–friendly form of transport.
• Larger hi–tech vessels can cost over £75 million to build. The operation of merchant ships generates an estimated annual income of over £190 billion in freight rates – about 5% of the total global economy.
• Number of ships in the world trading fleet is approximately 49,000 with a combined tonnage of 647,075,000 gross tonnes.
• There are nearly 49,000 merchant ships trading internationally, transporting every kind of cargo. The world fleet is registered in over 150 nations, and manned by over a million seafarers of virtually every nationality.
• There are around 1.2m seafarers working in the international shipping industry. In the UK there are more than 15,000 Officers.
• The UK has the largest maritime sector in Europe with a turnover of £37 billion – twice the size of aerospace or agriculture – and employing more than a quarter of a million people.

To find out some quirky facts about the sea go to Did you know...?