On Tuesday 16 September, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) and UK Ship Register hosted a prestigious event on the future of UK maritime at the House of Lords as part of London International Shipping Week (LISW).

With around 150 guests in attendance, the event gave guests an opportunity to engage with experts from the UK Flag and highlighted how we are supporting the seafarers of tomorrow and maritime innovation.  

An opening address from MCA Chief Executive Virginia McVea shared updates on how the MCA ensures customers of the Flag receive dedicated and specialised service from technical experts.  

Following this, updates were provided from policy leads about their wide-ranging work, including initiatives to support future seafarers, the pioneering of alternative fuel options, and an overview of smart shipping and autonomous operations.

The advantages of the UK Flag and what the UK Ship Register offers to ship owners globally was the penultimate talk of the afternoon, before MCA Chairman Lord Simon Stevens brought the event to a close, acknowledging the UK Government’s dedication to seafarers, future fuels and ambitious decarbonisation targets.

Reflecting on the event, Chief Executive Virginia McVea said: “The MCA is behind a breadth of work that is driving the evolution of the maritime industry forward, including advancements in navigation and drift modelling, the Maritime Safety Information service, Shipping Forecast, and paving the way for vessels running on alternative fuels.

“Our event at LISW has given just a snapshot of how the MCA and its Flag are enabling industry and working towards a future that is sustainable, innovative and technology-driven, with the safety and welfare of seafarers a continued and key priority.”

If you were unable to attend the event in person, you can review the four policy leads’ TED talks below for some insight into the work that we are currently involved in.