The programme for The Maritime Partenariate contained a number of different seminars. One of the speakers was Håkan Friberg, VD for Sweden’s Shipowners’ Association, who talked about the future of the Swedish maritime industry.

- The development of the Swedish maritime industry is mainly positive. Among other things, Håkan Friberg said that the industry was now a strong competitor in comparison with other countries.

In 2001 a so-called net model will be introduced for vessels operating under the Swedish flag. This means that the employer no longer needs to pay employment tax for employees, so that the Swedish shipyards are more able to compete with other countries in the European Union.

The problem is, however, that recruitment is poor in the maritime industry. It is difficult to get young people interested in the industry, despite the fact that newly qualified ship’s officers are guaranteed jobs.

- Much more people are needed in the maritime industry, which today doesn’t have sufficient numbers of qualified personnel. Unfortunately, many young people of today are not interested in technical studies, said Håkan Friberg.

Another problem in the next few years will be the large number of people reaching retirement age. Today there are 170 qualified ship’s officers a year, but this total needs to be doubled.