"Global shipbuilding does not operate according to normal market logic" (SEA Europe)

What is the current state of European shipyards, especially in terms of competition with other regions of the world?

Today, the European shipbuilding industry is focused on complex vessels and high-tech maritime equipment. Our Asian competitors, which are heavily subsidised and strongly supported by their governments, have become dominant in the construction of large cargo vessels.

European shipyards remain global leaders in cruise ships, the most complex type of vessel, and are competitive in many specialised segments such as offshore vessels, oceanographic research vessels, short-sea shipping, fishing vessels, and others. Europe also remains an attractive location for the maintenance, repair, retrofit and conversion of all types of ships, as well as for naval shipbuilding, which exports worldwide. European maritime equipment manufacturers are global leaders, but they face increasing competition from Asia, anti-competitive practices and market access hurdles by certain countries.

Our Asian competitors are heavily subsidised and strongly supported by their governments.

How is the shipbuilding industry impacted by the recent Foreign Direct Investment Screening and the EU's steel rules? Are the safeguards sufficient in your opinion?

The screening of foreign investments in strategic European sectors is essential. However, our main challenge is fair global competition. Faced with foreign competitors that are massively supported and subsidised by their governments, Europe's industrial base is under threat and is steadily eroding. We are close to falling below a critical threshold. Many countries consider shipbuilding to be a strategic sector, which leads them to pursue highly aggressive policies aimed at industrial and technological dominance, and in some cases, outright predatory behaviour. The European Union and its Member States must fully recognise that global shipbuilding does not operate according to normal market logic.

The issue of EU steel safeguards is complex. We fully understand the need to support European steel producers in the face of Chinese overcapacity, as this is a vital issue for them. At the same time, as a downstream user of steel, shipbuilding can be negatively affected by these safeguards when steel must be imported. Not all shipyards source their steel from Europe, for a variety of reasons. We therefore call on the European Union to take a holistic approach to this difficult issue, so as not to create conflicting interests between different strategic European sectors.

What are you hoping for in the upcoming EU Ports Strategy and EU Industrial Maritime Strategy, which will be presented by the Commission on 18/02/2026?

We expect a comprehensive plan to support the competitiveness of European shipyards and maritime equipment manufacturers. Our sector is ready to invest to strengthen our lead markets and to claim new ones, but global market distortions and the permanent risk weighing on our investments prevent us from deploying our capabilities and capacities to their full potential. Concretely, we expect support measures for the modernisation of our production facilities, increased efforts in innovation, and incentives for shipowners to place more orders with European shipyards rather than in Asia. This strategy must be accompanied by public financial support, in particular by ensuring that a fair share of the revenues collected through the European carbon tax 'ETS' is reinvested into the maritime sector.

Ensuring that a fair share of the revenues collected through the European carbon tax 'ETS' is reinvested into the maritime sector.

What do you expect from the Circular Economy Act of the Commission, which will be presented by the end of 2026?

We want to see the Circular Economy Act as an opportunity for our industry to strengthen its competitive edge in complex vessels by facilitating the market uptake of life-cycle-based approaches. Today, shipowners' decisions are largely based on the purchase price alone. We believe that the European shipbuilding industry could be competitive by factoring in all the stages of the ship's lifecycle, from design to recycling, thereby offering shipowners greater predictability regarding the full cost of ownership.

However, if the Circular Economy Act turns into another set of rigid regulatory constraints that do not improve the European business case, it would represent yet another self-inflicted wound; something EU legislation already has too many examples of.

Is a "European Preference" necessary to protect the maritime actors from unfair global competition and create a level playing field?

We need to be precise in our terminology. In theory, documented cases of unfair global competition should be addressed through the EU's trade defence instruments (anti-dumping and anti-subsidy measures), which allow for targeted tariffs to correct unfair practices. In practice, however, shipbuilding does not fit within the scope of these instruments, which were designed for mass-produced manufactured goods with standardised and easily identifiable value. Ships are usually tailor-made, hence they do not meet these criteria. We therefore call on the Commission to close this loophole and establish a trade defence instrument tailored to our sector.

We call for systematic European preference conditions in public procurement and in private markets supported by public aid.

European preference is a different concept. It consists of setting conditions that steer certain public and private orders towards European producers. We do not support full-scale protectionism such as the US 'Jones Act', which reserves cabotage between US ports for US-built ships, as this would reduce market size and ultimately harm competitiveness and innovation. However, we call for systematic European preference conditions in public procurement and in private markets supported by public aid. The exact degree of European preference should be flexible and adapted to the level of strategic risk and the state of the global market. This system should also be combined with incentives, particularly financial ones, for shipowners who choose Europe.

You are also part of the Blue Alliance, an initiative of the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions, launched in October 2025 and supported by MEP Christophe Clergeau (S&D). What do you expect from this alliance?

We have joined the Blue Alliance to represent the voice of European shipyards and maritime equipment manufacturers. Our industry is a key enabler of the blue economy, including maritime transport, offshore energy, fisheries, subsea communications, as well as maritime security, including naval defence. We strongly welcome the Blue Alliance initiative, which will serve as a platform for dialogue between the different stakeholders of the European maritime sector and policymakers, to ensure that the maritime sector's voice is fully reflected in EU policies.