Chairman’s Letter – Summer 2018

By Mary Green | Published July 10, 2018

Dear members, partners and colleagues

Thank you for your support over the first half of another exciting year for THMA and the Humber region. I write this note from our new office at the ERGO Centre in Hessle, a project we have been involved with for almost 10 years.

Located at the heart of the Energy Estuary and with excellent access to our members and partners from around the Humber we have already seen an influx of visitors and the buzz around the facility is exhilarating. Our partners the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult and the University of Hull Aura Innovation Centre have an adjacent office and a number of THMA members are looking to become neighbours in the coming weeks. The ERGO centre is all about collaboration and for us it’s a physical manifestation of the work we have been undertaking for many years.

There has been a huge amount of THMA activity this year across the Maritime and Offshore sector on behalf of our members keeping THMA and the Humber at the forefront in these critically important sectors. In recent weeks there have been overseas visitors from Taiwan and China as well as a key exhibition in Manchester, the Ørsted Race Bank Offshore Wind farm inauguration and an important International Maritime Forum in Liverpool.

This week I was in Amsterdam along with the East of England Energy Group (EEEGR) to meet with a number of Dutch Ports, The Netherlands and British Governments to discuss an Anglo-Dutch North Sea energy collaboration. Whilst there, Simon Gray the CEO of EEEGR and I took the opportunity to sign a cooperation agreement to develop a closer relationship between THMA & EEEGR in order to better serve and promote the interest of our members.

Our other important activities have included a comprehensive response to the UK Government “Maritime 2050: Call for evidence” as well as completing a report on anticipated Humber Ports & Logistics Skills Gaps to 2023.  Indeed, I’d like to thank members and partners who helped contribute to these important initiatives.

During 2018 we are looking to increase our inter-member networking activities with Windy Millers coming up on the 19th July followed by a Summer Drinks event here at ERGO and the restarting of our MemberConnect sessions in August.

Have a great Summer!

Kind regards

Mark