Around 125,000 people are employed in the European SMRC industry. This figure includes those working directly and indirectly at the around 60 SMRC yards in Europe. Furthermore, there are many smaller yards specialised in SMRC activities for fishery, inland shipping, etc. which are not included in this figure. The annual turnover of the sector is about 3.5 billion Euro.
The importance of the SMRC industry is rising with the growing focus on emissions, environment and climate in the shipping sector. The SMRC industry is crucial for retrofitting energy saving devices, conversion of ships to alternative fuels and the installation of systems required for environmental compliance e.g. ballast water treatment systems.
The Industry is not only capable of handling complex projects on ships, it is also very well able to handle other big assets such as offshore structures for fish farms, offshore wind and agriculture. With the growing importance of the blue economy and more and more offshore activities, the work of the SMRC industry diversifies.