Posted on: 24 March 2020
Maritime London has issued the following statement to Members on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the maritime professional services sector.
The speed with which Covid-19 is affecting every facet of our lives is truly unprecedented and I do not know a family, including my own, that is not in the throws of significant health or financial related uncertainty.
“However, we must take some solace in the collective spirit of solidarity that has enveloped the nation. In this context Maritime London is determined to play our own part on behalf of our members and the wider maritime professional services sector. With the support of members, we have already been engaging closely with government to ensure they understand how shipping markets and the sector is responding to the crisis, and we will continue to play this important role in partnership with the other Maritime UK associations. Our Chairman Lord Mountevans has already spoken and written to the Secretary of State and Minister for Maritime. Please use this link to read the letter in full.
We will also ensure that Maritime London members understand the suite of support the Government is offering businesses and workers. To these ends we have included several useful links that can be viewed on the website.
Please get in touch with us if you are experiencing any operational difficulties – it is vital that we hear from Members and feed this information into government.
As we adapt to working from home offices, spare rooms, sheds, cellars (as I am doing) it is also crucial that members and the wider market continue talking, and Maritime London will provide a conduit for this. We had an oversubscribed webinar yesterday, Monday 23rd March, and given its the popularity, we expect to hold a series of such webinars. London Matters will continue to be distributed to over 8,000 maritime professionals, providing insight into how the market is adapting.
Lastly, while we cannot act with much certainty at the moment, Maritime London is still planning to run a full calendar of events on the second half of 2020. We must assume a return to normality and when we do, Maritime London will be ready.
Jos Standerwick
Chief Executive, Maritime London
