Recommendation 4

HM Government Acknowledged

The Government agrees and is considering when best to revise the Trade Route Map. The UK recognises the maritime sector’s vital role in facilitating global trade. Maritime 2050 and the Trade Route Map build on the Department for Transport’s (DfT) strategic priority of increasing our global impact. They demonstrate DfT’s ambition to pursue an agile approach to leverage the UK’s experience and reputation to take advantage of trade opportunities. We are committed to working with industry to make trade easier by removing barriers and unlocking the potential of increased international trade in goods and services through the International Maritime Trade in Services (IMTS) Annex to the Department for Business and Trade’s (DBT) free trade agreement (FTA) programme. In addition to the FTA programme, the UK is seeking cooperation on maritime matters with international partners to improve market access and promote business activities for the maritime industry through bilateral agreements and partnerships. DfT is working with partners across Government to enhance our knowledge regarding the implications of closure or changes in access to chokepoints, and their potential impact on UK and global supply chains. This includes work with DBT looking in depth at commercial transits through key straits and trade corridors to understand vulnerabilities which may impact the right of freedom of navigation for vital maritime trade and energy routes. This is an ongoing piece of work which will continue to develop with the addition new data sets as more Government departments share their critical goods. This will inform a holistic cross-Government view of security of chokepoints and highlight the centrality of commercial maritime security in national resilience – this data can then be used to justify and inform policy interventions by DfT or other Government departments to mitigate security risks and support continued maritime trade. How Government can work with industry to improve the resilience of the freight and logistics sector in the UK is also detailed within the Future of Freight plan published in June 2022. The plan sets out a shared vision for a freight and logistics sector that is cost efficient, reliable, resilient, environmentally sustainable and valued by society. One of the Plan’s core objectives is for day-to-day reliability that is complemented by resilience in the freight and logistics system. Specifically, the systems’ capacity to anticipate, absorb, resist, or avoid disruption and to recover when it does occur. Engagement with industry has tested how best to jointly deliver the vision outlined in the Future of Freight plan. Government and industry have agreed that the most urgent challenges are in five priority areas and have committed to delivering actions for a stronger future for freight in each of them: • National Freight Network (NFN) • enabling the transition to net zero • planning • people and skills • data and technology The Freight Council, a cross-modal freight forum to drive collaboration between Government and the freight sector that was first established in 2021, will continue to oversee the delivery of Future of Freight’s commitments. Maritime interests are represented by the British Ports Association, UK Major Ports Group and UK Chamber of Shipping. We recognise that the constantly changing geopolitical landscape has reaffirmed the necessity of long-term resilience in global supply chains. A world of increasing tensions and challenges to the international rules-based system, as outlined in the Integrated Review Refresh, will see these issues gain greater prominence.