The results of a project undertaken by marine consultancy ABPmer, to develop a method to assign values to shipping cargo has been published by the Marine Management Organisation (MMO).   The resulting mapping and information will improve the evidence base used in developing marine plan policies. Monty Smedley, maritime sector lead at ABPmer said “This was an exciting and novel project for us. The UK maritime sector plays a critical role in the growth and development of the country, enabling the import and export of goods and providing additional value through maritime and business services. We are very pleased to have developed a methodology providing the MMO with additional information to underpin the development of marine plan policy.” Robert Merrylees, Policy Manager & Analyst at the UK Chamber of Shipping commented “The Chamber greatly welcomes this study determining a working methodology for mapping the cargo value of shipping routes.

The study provides real value by looking not only at port calls, but also transiting vessels which goes to show just how important (both on a commercial and navigational safety front) many routes are.” Vivid Economics provided economics analysis support to ABPmer as a subconsultant. ABPmer has a long history of supporting the development of the evidence base for marine planning, especially in the use of AIS and related shipping data to inform policy development and the use of marine space. To download the report click here.