Si aprono buone prospettive per gli armatori britannici

Buone prospettive per gli armatori britannici. Secondo il nuovo presidente della Camera dell'armamento David Cobb JP, eletto presidente della Chamber of Shipping nell'assemblea annuale dell'aprile scorso, "con l'arrivo al potere di un governo il cui vice primo ministro (John Prescott) ammette il valore di una marina mercantile forte, noi possiamo essere ottimisti sulla crescita e sulla prosperità del nostro settore".

Secondo il vice primo ministro Prescott, vi saranno infatti alcuni evidenti vantaggi nel tutelare l'industria marittima nazionale: gli investimenti saranno effettuati in Gran Bretagna, verranno impiegati marittimi britannici qualificati, si rafforzeranno le imprese marittime e sarà contrastata la diminuzione continua dell'entità della flotta nazionale.

Cobb ha fatto riferimento al gruppo di lavoro sulla marina mercantile istituito dal governo, in cooperazione con la Camera dell'armamento, i sindacati e lo Stato. Egli ritiene una questione vitale che il gruppo di lavoro riesca a convincere i poteri pubblici della necessità di seguire l'esempio di altre nazioni europee nell'affrontare la concorrenza mondiale.Il testo dell'intervento di David Cobb
all'assemblea annuale della Chamber of Shipping
del 2 aprile 1998

My Lords, Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for the great honour you have bestowed on me by electing me President of the Chamber of Shipping. I am proud and thrilled to be addressing you today.

Before I discuss the year ahead I would like to say a special thank you to Paul Skinner. Paul has devoted enormous time and efforts to his year, particularly to our Government campaign. I do hope we can continue to call upon his support as a member of our negotiating team in the months ahead.

This is an exciting time to be taking over as President of the Chamber. Exciting both for our industry and politically.

It is a period of consolidation for the Shipping Industry with continuing pressures on companies to keep cutting costs to remain competitive and stay in the international race. We have seen consolidation through mergers and joint ventures which increasingly straddle national boundaries and have a virtually free choice of domicile and of operational base.

Against that background the Chamber's warning that British Shipping stands at a cross roads is more stark than ever.

One route leads to increased opportunity, to further investment within the UK, to the employment of more, highly skilled British seafarers; to a greatly enhanced contribution to the national economy; to stronger, shore-based maritime industries and services; and to a renewed ability to play our part as the "fourth arm of defence".

The other continues the steady contraction in our fleet and manpower and leads to an acceleration of the trends discouraging companies from remaining in Britain, that have become increasingly apparent over the last two years. This means more British companies being drawn to choosing another domicile for joint ventures, other regions for new investment and other nationalities of seafarers.

No one should be in any doubt that this is the route to reduced benefit for UK plc to reduce employment generally, declining balance of payments, a weaker maritime infrastructure and a negligible asset for defence.

These are also exciting times for the Chamber because we can see, hopefully, the culmination of our decade - long campaign to highlight both the contribution that British Shipping already makes to the UK plc and the much greater contribution it could make with the same support provided to our competitors elsewhere in Europe. Taken in conjunction with the election of a Government whose Deputy Prime Minister accepts the value of a strong Merchant Navy, we must be optimistic that we will finally get our message across.

These two situations closely inter-lock. If we can persuade the Government to pursue a positive and active policy - as I hope we can - the British shipping industry will take the road out of the cross-roads which leads to prosperity and growth.

If we do not succeed in that endeavour, the alternative route will not mean that our current, very successful fleet will wither away. But there is no doubt that there are other jurisdictions where the fiscal climate is warmer. Whilst there are many fine ships entering service at present - indeed my own company is still completing a significant new building programme - it is by no means automatic that all of these ships will come on the UK register or indeed will be operated out of the United Kingdom.

Further new investments are most unlikely to come to the UK when other jurisdictions will permit a better return on capital invested. It is no comfort having a corporation tax rate of 30%, which the Chancellor has correctly boasted is one of the lowest in Western world, when our major competitors have much lower effective rates for their shipping - in some cases, close to zero. Or when they have special devices, such as the tonnage tax, which sends a clear message that their companies' shipping earnings are in practice very nearly tax-free.

But, as I said earlier, we must be optimistic. I think, at this stage, we must look forward on the assumption that the programme of work we have undertaken within the Shipping Working Group - jointly with the maritime trade unions and with Government officials - will be productive. It is vital that it should finally convince the Government collectively to take the same sort of steps that other European governments have taken to ensure their shipping industries can compete on the world stage.

What then should we be looking forward to in the year to come?

I am afraid I cannot at this stage report as to the conclusions of the Joint Working Group. Its work is not yet complete and, although we are on the final lap, I am prohibited from lifting the veil on our discussions.

We must however have no doubt that if our DPM is to convince his cabinet colleagues that our Industry is worthy of assistance in line with our E.U. competitors, then we must give him the ammunition with which to work on our behalf.

Firstly, we know there is a serious shortage of skilled seafarers. We must therefore persuade companies already training British seafarers to continue to carry out their fair share of training. Some companies do train - others do not - and really, Ladies and Gentlemen, that position is neither fair nor acceptable. Further we must encourage companies where it is practical, economical and where the skills are available, to employ British Seafarers - officers and ratings.

Government assistance, through SMART is available to defray some part of the cost of training and we must show Government that we are playing our part by the utilisation of those funds.

I am sure that the Chamber of Shipping, both directly and through the Merchant Navy Training Board, must play a leading role in this area - first, by encouraging more employers of British seafarers to train their replacements and, second, by continuing to be closely involved in the development of training standards. I expect those companies that do not currently train to come under strong pressure either to undertake their own training programmes, or to provide financial and other assistance to those companies which are replenishing the stock of British seafarers. The Chamber and the MNTB will assist individual companies to do all that they can in this area.

The Chamber and its member companies will continue to make a major effort to encourage the recruitment of new seafarers. Our Training Task Force has decided that we must spread the message more widely that a sea-going career is not only a worthwhile career in its own right, but that it is a stepping stone to many other lucrative, demanding and high-value jobs ashore.

In June, the Merchant Navy Careers Service will be the lead sponsor for the Annual Conference of the Institution of Careers Guidance Officers. We have to get across the message to young people, and those who guide them, that seafaring is a training at the University of the Sea, comparable to any other university and leading to jobs that are challenging as well as rewarding.

Secondly: If, and I fervently hope it is when we see a change to the current fiscal arrangements, again in line with our European competitors, we must be able to show Government that with improved funding we are prepared to invest in modern, efficient new tonnage.

We all know that the size of the Fleet measured in Gross Tonnage does not necessarily paint a true picture. A VLCC of 300,000 DWT measuring 160,000 GT and employing 22 crew, hardly compares with the Oriana of 69,000 GT employing 760 persons or the Cable Innovator of 14,000 GT employing up to 75 persons when laying cable.

Our particular strengths are in those areas where high skills, sophisticated ships, regular and safe operation have a particular premium. There are exciting new programmes of cruise ships, container ships, tankers and gas carriers, offshore support vessels, and a variety of specialist ships involved in such operations as research, cable laying and other subsea applications in the making or on the drawing board. I do hope this year will see the implementation of economic and employment conditions which will encourage these programmes to grow and also to be undertaken under the Red Ensign, rather than abroad.

The third main thrust of this year will be to encourage governments to continue their attack on sub-standard ships. The ISM Code, which has been in force for Ro-ro ferries for nearly two years, will come into force in July for the first tranche of other ships. We shall want to see that Code rigorously enforced, just as we shall in due course wish to see the STCW Convention rigorously enforced.

Throughout the year, of course, the Chamber will be fulfilling its primary role of assisting members in every possible way, to ensure that British shipping companies interests are promoted and protected from the unforeseen consequences of proposed legislation, whether British or international. As always, we will try to do that in an ever more cost-effective and professional manner. I know that you will receive a splendid service from the Chamber staff.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I said at the outset it would be an exciting year. I am sure that, with your support, we shall be able to steer a positive course through it. I am hopeful that we will see some fruits of our years of hard work ripen in a renewed partnership with Government.

You may rest assured that the Chamber will not rest in its endeavours to ensure that we forge that partnership which is so necessary to allow us to seize the opportunities which lie ahead and thereby assure the future and enlargement of the British Merchant Navy.