German shipbuilding association VSM firmly believes in the European shipbuilding industry, despite Asian dominance.
Reinhard Luken, managing director of VSM, said at TradeWinds Shipowners Forum Germany: “If I didn’t believe in European shipbuilding, I would quit my job!
“I am 100% sure there is a future, and I understand the urgency to make sure we keep maritime competence in Europe.”
South Korea, Japan and China are global leaders in terms of shipyards for cargo vessels. China makes up 50% of the world market, up from 25% in 2008. Europe is the market leader for cruise vessels.
“After all, Europe is the most maritime continent, with a coast length twice the size of China and US together,” Luken told the forum, held during the SMM conference in Hamburg.
“Maybe some people have forgotten about it, but I am very optimistic that we can remind people.
“There is no natural law that we cannot do it here. I don’t see a reason why we cannot rebuild the industry.”
Asked by TradeWinds editor-in-chief Julian Bray about growing political tensions, particularly between the East and West, Luken replied: “Let’s be clear, we are in the middle of this conflict between autocracy and democracy. It’s a system rivalry and we see that with what’s happening in Ukraine.
“With Russia invading Ukraine we have really understood what it means to be dependent. And the price of the dependency.”
Luken said he asked the chief executive of a large shipping company last year: “If shit hits the fan and things go south in Taiwan, what are you going to do? Have you got a plan B? And the answer was ‘No’.
“We cannot not have a plan B. Things may happen and then chaos ensues.
“I think the sense of dependency is something that really changes a landscape … but you can’t be really expecting an efficient naval shipbuilding without efficient civil shipbuilding, it’s the whole ecosystem that belongs together.”
