Finland’s former prime minister Alexander Stubb has urged European shipowners to be prepared for lengthy Brexit negotiations.

During his presentation named “What the hell is going on in the West? Beyond Brexit and Trump”, Stubb highlighted 2016 as a landmark year equal to 1945 and 1989 due to the latest political developments in the UK and US.

“Do not underestimate the complexity of the issues we are talking about, it is one of the largest members exiting," he told the main conference of European Shipping Week (ESW) in Brussels.

“Dealing