Responding to reports that the UK Government may charter ships in case of a No-Deal Brexit, UK Chamber of Shipping CEO Bob Sanguinetti said that it is not clear how chartered ships will help.
Namely, Mr. Sanguinetti said that the UK Government cannot move goods faster or more efficiently than the private sector, particularly as those goods will still need to go through the same customs procedures in ports, where the real problem lies.
We must not sensationalise. We are a flexible industry and the shipping market can adapt to meet the needs of our national economy just as it always has done.
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He also added however, that in case of a No-Deal Brexit the trade between the UK and the EU will be challenging, as ‘no matter how hard the private sector tries to ensure goods can move quickly and efficiently, it has to operate within the law’.
Bob Sanguinetti clarified that he believes a No-Deal scenario will be avoided, nonetheless every time the EU reject a British proposal, makes this scenario more likely.
Nevertheless, the fact is that with six months left until the end of the Article 50 process, there is no deal in sight, something that shows how important it is for the negotiations to find a fruitful solution, Mr. Sanguinetti noted. He further added that UK’s port will be able to ‘keep trade moving as freely as possible in any event’, but a No-Deal scenario will create a mess in both the EU and the UK:
Whilst I continue to believe a No-Deal scenario will be avoided – such is the mess it will create in both the EU and the UK – the fact we are six months from the end of the Article 50 process with no deal in sight shows the importance of getting back around the negotiating table.