National Shipbuilding Office
UK cross-government body that runs the National Shipbuilding Strategy.
Last refreshed: 6 June 2026
Has the NSO's economic baseline given maritime autonomy a place in UK industrial policy?
Timeline for National Shipbuilding Office
co-authored UK maritime-autonomy economic baseline
Autonomous Systems: Land & Sea: A £8.3bn number for the business case- What is the UK National Shipbuilding Office?
- The NSO is a UK cross-government body that coordinates the National Shipbuilding Strategy, aligning MoD, Department for Transport, and business policy to revive British shipbuilding competitiveness. Its chief executive is Rod Paterson.
- What did the National Shipbuilding Office say about autonomous ships?
- On 4 June 2026 the NSO co-published the first official UK maritime-autonomy economic baseline with Lloyd's Register and NPL. It projects £8.3bn GVA by 2050, with a high-growth scenario of £26.5bn and 39,200 jobs. CEO Rod Paterson called it one of the UK's most significant emerging maritime markets.Source: National Shipbuilding Office / Lloyd's Register / NPL
- Who leads the UK National Shipbuilding Strategy?
- The National Shipbuilding Office (NSO) leads implementation of the National Shipbuilding Strategy. Its chief executive is Rod Paterson, who also co-authored the June 2026 maritime-autonomy economic baseline.
- How does the UK plan to grow its shipbuilding industry?
- Through the National Shipbuilding Strategy, coordinated by the NSO. The June 2026 maritime-autonomy baseline identifies the autonomous-vessel sector as a priority, projecting £8.3bn GVA by 2050. The MCA's concurrent Maritime Innovation Hub provides the regulatory route for trials.Source: National Shipbuilding Office
Background
The National Shipbuilding Office (NSO) is a UK cross-government body established to coordinate and implement the National Shipbuilding Strategy, a long-term plan to revive British shipbuilding and maritime manufacturing competitiveness. The NSO sits across multiple departments, drawing together the Ministry of Defence, the Department for Transport, and the Department for Business and Trade to align procurement, skills, and industrial policy. Its chief executive is Rod Paterson.
On 4 June 2026 the NSO co-published the first official economic measurement of the UK maritime-autonomy sector alongside Lloyd's Register and the National Physical Laboratory (NPL), researched by Stehr Consulting. The report established current sector turnover at £600 million and approximately 5,000 jobs, with a central projection of £8.3 billion GVA by 2050 and a high-growth scenario of £26.5 billion and 39,200 jobs . Paterson described the sector as 'one of the most significant markets for UK shipbuilding and maritime technology'.
The NSO's authorship of the baseline positions maritime autonomy explicitly within the National Shipbuilding Strategy's REMIT, signalling that autonomous vessels are no longer a peripheral R&D topic but a core pillar of UK industrial ambition. The timing, published the day after the MCA's Maritime Innovation Hub, links regulatory enabling with economic targeting.
The NSO co-published the first official UK maritime-autonomy economic baseline on 4 June 2026, with Lloyd's Register and NPL. The report, researched by Stehr Consulting, puts current turnover at £600m (~5,000 jobs) and projects £8.3bn GVA by 2050 (central), rising to £26.5bn in the high-growth scenario . Chief executive Rod Paterson called it 'one of the most significant markets for UK shipbuilding and maritime technology', embedding maritime autonomy within the National Shipbuilding Strategy as a targeted growth sector.