ABSTRACT
Shipbuilding and maritime transportation are the main sectors around which the shipping industry is built. Despite their great differences, both sectors are closely related, showing a strong and direct dependency on the performance of international markets.
Clearly dominated by Asian countries, the industry is highly competitive and globalised. To face this competition, the European shipbuilding industry has adopted a specialisation strategy and focused its activities to the construction of high value-added vessels. Largely thanks to its location along major trade routes the European maritime transportation companies have a leading position in the global industry.
The European shipping industry, and more specifically the shipbuilding sector, offers a number of important opportunities for the development of Blue Growth sectors. The need for highly-specialised new vessels is in line with the technological requirements of many of the BG sectors (e.g., development of renewables, seabed mining or biotechnologies). Also, its long working experience may turn into an important source of knowledge for emerging maritime industries. Underlining the characteristics of the industry in the different studied basins, this chapter describes the main features and socio-economic impacts of the European shipping industry (markets, industrial structure, employment, skills, etc.).
