The maritime sector in Scotland directly supports nearly £10bn in turnover and 41,000 jobs according to a new report launched at the UK Chamber of Shipping and British Ports Association Scottish reception.

The report by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr), commissioned by Maritime UK and the Scottish Maritime Cluster, shows that the marine engineering and scientific industry is the largest industry within the Scottish maritime sector in terms of economic activity, directly contributing £2.5bn in gross value added (GVA), and directly supporting around 29,000 jobs in 2017.

Indirectly, it is estimated the maritime sector in Scotland helped to support a total of £19.5bn in turnover and 155,000 jobs.

After quantifying the aggregate economic impacts through the industry supply chains and induced effects on expenditures, it is estimated that the maritime sector in Scotland helped to support a total of £7.8bn of GVA in 2017, an increase from £6.8bn in 2010.

The report forecast also indicates that Scottish-based maritime turnover and GVA are set to grow at a compounded annual growth rate of 2.6% over period 2017 to 2023. This translates into a cumulative nominal growth of 14% for 2019-2023.

Commenting on the report, Andrew Hemphill, port director at Clydeport and chairman of the BPA Scottish ports group said: “These figures demonstrate the continued success of the Scottish maritime sector. The unique mix of ownership models and a stable development framework has enabled this success but this must not be taken for granted. 

“An uncertain economic outlook and huge decarbonisation challenges mean that the Scottish maritime sector must continue to innovate and invest in new technologies and processes. We look forward to continued success next year and continued working with Scottish government so we can make further progress on shared challenges.”

Bob Sanguinetti, chief executive of the UK Chamber of Shipping, said: “This report highlights the importance of the Scottish maritime sector to the Scotland economy and shows just how well it is doing. The Scottish maritime sector has shown great leadership in the development of new technologies, with hybrid and battery-operated ferries already in service, and the Scottish oil and gas and renewables industries are leading the way in helping meet the UK’s energy needs and providing cleaner, greener energy.”

Click here to download the full report.