News: Maritime UK North to open at Merseyside’s Maritime Knowledge Hub

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  • Published:12 Mar 2018

MOU 1


Maritime UK is to open a Northern office at the Maritime Knowledge Hub, home of regional cluster organisation, Mersey Maritime.

Maritime UK is the sector’s umbrella body, bringing together the UK’s shipping, ports, services, engineering and leisure marine industries to promote the sector, influence government and drive growth.

Mersey Maritime joined Maritime UK in 2017 and since then has been spearheading the organisation’s work in developing a network of regional maritime hubs.

The maritime sector supports close to 1 million jobs and contributes around £40bn to UK GDP. Maritime is responsible for facilitating 95% of our international trade, totaling £500bn per year.

A Memorandum of Understanding was signed by Maritime UK Chairman-Elect, Andrew Moffat CBE and Mersey Maritime Chairman John Hulmes, at the Mersey Maritime Industry Awards on Thursday evening at Anfield.

The cluster model developed in the Liverpool City Region is recognised by the European Commission as the “gold standard”.

Maritime UK Director, Ben Murray said: “Maritime UK already brings together the key organisations from our maritime industries, and our cluster focus reflects the fact that there are a number of regional cluster organisations that should be part of our collective work too.

“Not only does this increase collaboration, and help us to deliver our collective growth ambitions, but it also means that we’re able to respond to the changing devolution landscape to support and benefit from regional programmes of increasingly powerful regional government.”

“A Northern office will ensure that we are closer to our key cluster organisations in Scotland, Merseyside and the Humber. It will also serve as a platform to explore the creation of new hubs in maritime regions like the North East.”

The agreement will see a number of Maritime UK programmes and events delivered from the new Northern office, including the Regional Cluster development programme, meetings of the Export & Investment Forum as well as hosting meetings of the Maritime UK Regional Council, which brings together the UK’s maritime regions.