Although the UK expressed that it would not accept free movement of European workers after the Brexit, it wants to maintain access to the single market. It would thereby create a unique position of the UK in Europe.
Prime Minister Theresa May clarified that there will not be a second referendum nor a parliamentary vote on the Brexit, but she instead would like to look for new opportunities for the UK. EU leaders and officials, however, including French president Hollande, stated that the UK cannot block free movement of people and keep full market access.
If the UK would not remain part of the single market after the Brexit, the UK could become a ‘third country’ under EU law. This would mean that trade between the EU and the UK would be carried out on the basis of WTO rules until a new bilateral trade deal would be complete. For European shippers this would mean that trade between the UK and the EU would be subject to increased trade barriers such as tariffs.