Chamber of Shipping responds to Brexit

By Tom Eddershaw - June 28, 2016.

Following the UK’s vote to leave the European Union, the nation’s Chamber of Shipping (CoS) has released a statement calling for calm.

“The UK Chamber of Shipping remained neutral on the question of the UK’s membership of the EU but we recognise the decision of the British people,” the statement read.

“The chamber has always argued that the shipping industry is resilient by its nature. Shipping moves 95 per cent of the UK’s international trade and we don’t see that changing.”

The CoS called for the UK Government to establish a new free trade commission. It suggests that this commission would work across the Department for Business and the Foreign Office to train trade negotiators and begin the process of establishing new trading ties around the world and be ready for the negotiations with the remaining members of the EU.

“What we need now are cool heads,” the statement added. “We’ve had the political debate, now it’s time for rational and strategic thinking.”