The Luxembourg Maritime Cluster has 195 vessels. A flag that supports modern ships and technologies.

195 ships with a total tonnage of over 1,342,000 GT In January 2026, the Luxembourg flag was sailing. A total of 207 ships (201 in 2023) with a gross tonnage of just over 1,422,000 GT a year earlier flew the Luxembourg flag with a red lion in a gold crown. The Luxembourg Maritime Cluster is one of the most active in the European Union. Recently, the Cluster has been expanding its maritime activity to include activities for the use of innovative technologies, including space technologies. Recently, Cluster members participated in the 𝟭𝟲𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝗻𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗮𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝗦𝗵𝗶𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝘂𝗺.

The Luxembourg Maritime Cluster (LMC) currently has 50 members from various industries and is constantly growing. “The strength of the Cluster lies in the rich diversity of its members in various areas of specialization,” emphasizes the LMC board. The cluster includes operators, financial institutions, and entities involved in education and marketing. It is organized into working groups, enabling members to exchange views and collaborate within the industry.

Members of the Luxembourg Maritime Cluster include well-known brands in the maritime industry: Stena International, Societe Generale, Jan de Nul, KPMG, EY Luxembourg, GEOxyz, Banque Internationale à Luxembourg, Eurobank, DEME Luxembourg, Euroflag Services, BNP Paribas, Bureau Veritas, DNV GL, Deutsche Bank, EuroNav, Intershipping, and others.

New Ships, New Initiatives

In December 2025, the Luxembourg Maritime Register registered ships no. 194 and 195. French tanker operator Socatra – Intershipping registered new vessels in Luxembourg. The Beluga (IMO: 1054929), a small bitumen (asphalt) tanker with a deadweight tonnage of 7,850 t, has a length of 116.32 m and a beam of 20.40 m. The ship’s captain raised the Luxembourg flag on her flagpole before the end of 2025.

On December 29, Feresa (IMO: 1054931), a vessel owned by the same shipowner, also raised the flag on the stern. This asphalt and bitumen tanker was built in 2025. It has a deadweight tonnage of 7,850 t, a length overall (LOA) of 119.3 m, and a beam of 20 m. Both vessels are equipped with specialized systems for heating products. Socatra owns and operates tankers flying the flag of France and Luxembourg, and also manages vessels on behalf of other shipowners.

“Luxembourg is not the only landlocked country to have developed maritime activities. In Europe, Austria, the Czech Republic, and Switzerland also operate shipping or ship registration operations,” note Fabrice Maire, President of the Luxembourg Maritime Cluster (LMC), and Prijot Henri, Partner at KPMG Luxembourg and member of the LMC Management Board.

They emphasize that “this situation is not only tolerated but also supported at the European level,” because “within the internal market, the European Union recognizes that maritime activities are not reserved exclusively for coastal states. The goal is clear: strengthening the resilience of supply chains, fostering innovation, and accelerating the ecological transformation of the entire sector, regardless of geographic region.”

Ships, Taxes, and Finance

This organization also allows for influence on various aspects of the maritime sector. Entities operating within the cluster leverage their expertise to solve nationwide tax and financial optimization problems. The cluster facilitates the adoption of best practices in maritime business and increases the competitiveness of Luxembourg’s legal framework for the maritime sector.

The experience and knowledge potential of these working groups allows maritime-related companies to strengthen their competitive position. However, company CEOs don’t wait for the cluster to solve their problems for them. Each cluster member has a contact person who can address issues related to maritime business operations under Luxembourg’s legal framework. Now, this expertise in maritime industries will be extended to services for the space industry. The LMC follows the same path previously taken by the Baltic Maritime and Space Cluster in Poland.

In Luxembourg, maritime activities are developing towards facilitating maritime business operations on similar principles as in Cyprus. GospodarkaMorska.pl wrote about this here. The Luxembourg Maritime Administration’s activities are not focused on fleet volume, but on quality, compliance with international regulations, and niches with high added value. The Luxembourg government is investing in an integrated, digital, and forward-looking maritime model, rather than a traditional one focused on port operations or bulk transport, Maire and Prijot explain the government’s strategy.

Thus, Luxembourg is not striving to have the largest fleet registered under its flag. Despite the widespread international adoption of a “tonnage tax” system, Luxembourg has not implemented such a system. Instead, maritime activities are primarily integrated into general tax regulations, with the main incentive being a tax credit for investments, Maire and Prijot explain Luxembourg’s maritime policy.

Investments in Clean Technologies

This mechanism aims to support productive investments, and increasingly, those contributing to the implementation of sustainable innovations. At a time when the maritime sector is undergoing a profound transformation towards cleaner technologies, they believe “this instrument plays a crucial role, particularly in financing equipment compatible with eco-friendly shipping: alternative propulsion systems, digital monitoring systems, energy optimization, and more.”

This positioning is even more crucial in a country where the aerospace sector is gaining importance. Satellite technologies are now essential for modern maritime activities: navigation, cybersecurity, environmental monitoring, secure communications, and automated reporting. The future of shipping will be digital, connected, and monitored from orbit as much as from the bridge. In this space—where data, management, and innovation intersect—Luxembourg has a clear advantage, argue representatives of the Luxembourg Maritime Cluster.

In their opinion, “this evolution reveals a deeper trend: the line between the maritime and space sectors is gradually blurring, as both sectors adopt a similar logic of investment, digitalization, and compliance with international regulations.” Therefore, data management, automated monitoring, and secure connectivity are becoming standard, and interaction between satellites and ships is no longer the cornerstone of shipping’s operational transformation. In Luxembourg, maritime activities will be developed along similar principles to the Maritime Innovation Center in Malta, but in conjunction with the implementation of satellite technologies. GospodarkaMorska.pl wrote about this here.

This is reflected in the fact that satellite data allows for route optimization, thereby reducing fuel consumption by ships. Satellite data helps improve safety at sea. Services provided by satellite operators also enable automated environmental monitoring. The SATBAŁTYK system, managed by the Institute of Oceanology of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Sopot, has been in operation for over 10 years.

“This system allows us to obtain a comprehensive set of data on the state of the Baltic Sea,” says Professor Mirosława Ostrowska, Vice-President of the Polish Academy of Sciences for the 2023–2026 term.

The President of the Maritime Cluster in Luxembourg confirms this, stating that “the use of satellite observations is essential for detecting maritime incidents or tracking changes in the ecosystem. Such applications demonstrate that space is no longer a supplementary tool, but a structural element of modern maritime activities.”

Luxembourg in the Space Business – “Space for Finance”

In Luxembourg, this convergence is already being achieved by a well-organized space ecosystem, represented in particular by SES Satellites, a world leader in satellite communications. The Luxembourg Space Agency is also active. Luxembourg has recognized that there are common areas of cooperation in both sectors. In Poland, the Polish Space Agency sponsors conferences organized by the Committee on Space Sciences of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Gdańsk and the Baltic Space Cluster.

Luxembourg is the first European country and the second in the world to offer a legal framework protecting property rights to space resources. Luxembourg is leading international efforts to harmonize global principles for peaceful space exploration. Partnerships are constantly developing, including with countries such as the United States, Japan, South Korea, and several European countries, the Luxembourg Space Agency reports.

Space technologies, in the case of maritime fleets, provide the ability to transmit reliable information in real time – whether it concerns safety, the environment, or operational efficiency. It is important to emphasize that satellite observations allow us to track vessels belonging to shadow fleets and illegal fishing fleets. They also provide information on ocean litter from merchant fleets, passenger ships, yachts, and maritime tourists.

“This link between sea and space is fully consistent with the policy orientations of the Luxembourg government,” Maire and Prijot emphasize. Therefore, they believe that “by combining an efficient maritime flag with a space sector equipped with sovereign infrastructure, Luxembourg is pursuing a strategy consistent with its diversification goals: prioritizing high-value-added activities based on technology, regulatory compliance, and sustainable development.”

In May 2025, the Luxembourg Space Agency (LSA) and the European Investment Bank (EIB) announced a strategic partnership aimed at accelerating the use of satellite technologies in the financial sector. This joint initiative, titled “Space for Finance,” aims to improve sustainability reporting, risk management, and impact assessment in industries such as investment banking and insurance.

A key element of the initiative is a pilot research and development program that will utilize concrete pilot projects to assess the value of space data in financial decision-making. This will lay the foundation for a broader call for project proposals, open to entities from the space and maritime sectors.

Legal, Financial, Industrial, and Technological Competencies

Representatives of the Luxembourg Maritime Cluster emphasize that “this convergence also supports a structured maritime ecosystem, embodied in the Luxembourg Maritime Cluster, where legal, financial, industrial, and technological competencies converge.” Its strength lies in the synergy of companies working collaboratively within the cluster, thus shaping its unique character. This diversity makes the cluster a facilitator of the transformation of the shipping industry.

Thus, even without a coastline, Luxembourg has found its place in the global maritime landscape, argue Maire and Prijot. They emphasize that in a sector undergoing profound technical and organizational transformation, in an era of growing demand for digital and space technologies, the quality of support is no longer measured by kilometers of coastline, but by its ability to anticipate trends, the potential of its expertise, and the competent support of the system’s evolution.

It is worth noting that at the end of December 2024, the Luxembourg Maritime Administration database listed over 15,000 active seafarers. The percentage of seafarers from European countries continued to grow, exceeding 54% of officers and approaching 33% of seafarers employed on Luxembourg-flagged vessels. It is not only seafarers and ship operators flying the Luxembourg flag who can count on the support of Luxembourg-flagged members.

In Luxembourg, maritime affairs are approached comprehensively and globally. Luxembourg does not want to be a flag of convenience. The Luxembourg Maritime Cluster offers fleet operators the opportunity to operate in a global environment, encompassing both favorable financial conditions and opportunities to leverage technological innovations, including satellite technologies, in business.