Preparation of maritime industry strategy begins
The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment appointed a working group on 10 October 2025 to prepare a new strategy for the maritime industry. The strategy will be submitted to the Minister of Economic Affairs in June 2026. The working group will draw up a proposal and, based on this, a Government resolution on the maritime industry will be formulated.
The strategy will describe the context where the Finnish maritime industry operates and estimate the changes in it until 2035. The working group will describe the measures by which the targets to be set can be reached. The strategy will also analyse the role of the State and the significance of domestic ownership in general in the development of the sector.
The working group is chaired by Jyrki Alkio, Senior Ministerial Adviser at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment. The members and secretariat of the group represent the key actors in the sector.
The geopolitical situation has changed fundamentally over the past few years. In recent years, Finnish shipyards have mainly built large cruise ships, ferries, ice-breakers, and vessels used by the public authorities. The geopolitical changes have led to a situation where completely new stakeholders are making plans concerning vessel procurements, besides the traditional clients.
In 2023, there were nearly 1,200 companies operating in the Finnish maritime industry, with a combined turnover of EUR 11.7 billion and about 30,500 employees. The maritime industry operates in an international market where up to 90 per cent of the products are exported. The companies in the maritime industry and subcontracting chains represent the entire shipbuilding sector, including new and old repair yards, material, equipment and system suppliers as well as companies specialising in planning and port and water construction.
Numerous studies have been made concerning the state of the Finnish maritime industry, but the most recent maritime industry strategy dates back to 2013.
Inquiries:
Jyrki Alkio, Senior Ministerial Adviser, chair of the working group, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, tel. +358 295 047 103
Leila Vilhunen, Ministerial Adviser, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, tel. +358 295 047 120