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Denmark Maintains Its Position Among the World's 10 Largest Maritime Nations

A new report shows that Denmark remains in the top 10 of the world's largest maritime nations. The competition is fierce, but the launch of a growth team for Blue Denmark raises further expectations that Denmark will continue to be among the largest maritime nations in the long term.

The new report shows that Denmark is the 10th largest maritime nation in the world, measured by operated tonnage.

The total amount of Danish-operated tonnage has increased from approximately 57.2 million tons in January to approximately 58.3 million tons in the latest report. Consequently, Denmark has consolidated its position in 10th place on the list of the largest maritime nations, and the distance to its nearest competitor on the list, the United Kingdom, has increased.

“The report once again demonstrates that Denmark is a maritime superpower, even though we are a small country. This is, of course, due to the fact that Danish shipping companies work very hard every single day to develop Danish shipping. It is impressive,” says Anne H. Steffensen, CEO of Danish Shipping.

Many skilled and emerging maritime nations are vying for a place among the major maritime nations. So, we cannot rest on our laurels.
Anne H. Steffensen, CEO of Danish Shipping

In the same period, the number of ships under the Danish flag (DIS) has slightly decreased, from 745 to 739 ships.

“This impressive position is also due to the fact that Denmark has sensible framework conditions, which make it possible to compete in the global market. But the competition is really tough. Many skilled and emerging maritime nations are vying for a place among the major maritime nations. So, we cannot rest on our laurels. Therefore, I am also very pleased that the government, with Minister of Business and maritime affairs Morten Bødskov at the helm, has just launched a growth team, which, among other things, will help strengthen growth in the industry and ensure that shipping continues to have the right framework conditions in the future. This will help ensure that Denmark remains among the world's largest maritime nations in 10 and 20 years,” says Anne H. Steffensen.

Facts:

The figures in the article are drawn from the S&P Maritime Portal in June 2024.

Ships under the Danish flag: Ships under the Danish flag carry the Dannebrog at the stern and are registered either in the Danish Ship Register (DAS) or the Danish International Ship Register (DIS).

Operated tonnage: Tonnage is a technical term for weight and volume units used as a basis for calculating vessels' cargo capacity. "Operated tonnage" refers to the total cargo capacity of the ships operated from Denmark (or controlled from shipping offices in Denmark).

See more statistics on Danish and international shipping in the Danish Shipping Knowledge Bank.

Read more about the government's Growth Team for Blue Denmark here (in Danish).