In light of the increasingly frequent geopolitical and impact that these can have on the supply of Germany, the German shipowners' association VDR has proposed to introduce in the context of military service the possibility of to carry out service at sea in the field of merchant shipping. Announcing the proposal today, the association explained that his goal is also to create a civil maritime reserve that can contribute to the maintenance of of the nation's maritime supply in the event of a once the military service is over. At the same time - VDR specified - service at sea would offer young people a gateway to the maritime sector by gaining practical experience on board and obtaining training qualifications that could be recognised for a subsequent apprenticeship, thus shortening the duration. The maritime service - underlined the association - would represent a civilian option in the context of military service and at the same time would help to further develop the maritime skills, which are essential for the procurement and maritime transport of Germany.

In addition, the VDR proposal provides that, if in the future the compulsory nature of military service was reintroduced which was suspended in 2011, the maritime service could also be carried out as a civilian alternative, also based on a proven practice as until the suspension of the Conscription Seafarers on active duty could be exempted military service by virtue of their essential role, being indispensable for supply and transport maritime.

"The war with Iran - explained the president of the VDR, Gaby Bornheim - shows how closely they are interconnected geopolitical conflicts and chains of global sourcing. About two-thirds of our trade foreign takes place by sea. For an exporting nation like the Germany, the protection of the merchant fleet is therefore strategic importance. Our thoughts go to the seafarers who They are currently serving in difficult conditions. Understandably, the German government is carefully considering the possible measures to be taken in the current situation. With all this, Germany remains The question of the importance of protecting routes free and safe maritime trade as well as transport maritime and its crews. For us it is clear: this is of primary importance".

"In the long term - added the director general of the VDR, Martin Kröger - we need a staff base national even wider. In the event of a real crisis, We must be caught unprepared, but be ready. The service maritime sector therefore represents an offer by the sector to policy makers in order to strengthen maritime skills. Now It's about shaping the future, not just managing the status quo. Because a resilient nation needs not only soldiers, but also of seafarers who ensure supplies, giving a contribution to national resilience".

The association recalled that Germany continues to be one of the world's leading maritime nations and that the fleet The German merchant ship currently has 1,716 ships with a gross tonnage 46.7 million tonnes, making it the seventh largest merchant fleet in the world after countries such as Greece and China. In addition, Germany is traditionally particularly strong in the maritime transport segment containerized with a fleet of 30.4 million tons of gross tonnage that went from third to second place to globally, surpassing China, which has a fleet of 30.2 million of GRT. Only Switzerland, with 41.2 million GRT, remains in front.