The sea as a safety factor

In its new annual report, the Naval Command describes Germany's dependence on safe sea routes. It also emphasises the little-known importance of the maritime industry.

In his foreword to the Naval Command's 2021 annual report on the maritime dependency of the Federal Republic of Germany, Vice Admiral Kay-Achim Schönbach, Inspector of the Navy, explains why Germany cannot avoid protecting its maritime interests. "As a member of the United Nations, the EU and NATO, we are committed to ensuring that our merchant and passenger ships can continue to sail the world's oceans safely and freely."
The document updates and supplements the data and findings of its predecessors. It analyses in detail the situation of maritime trade, shipping, shipbuilding and the maritime industry in times of globalisation, threats to sea routes and the coronavirus pandemic. Maritime security is at the centre of the report.