NORTHERN POWERHOUSE MARITIME AGENDA GETS COAST-TO-COAST BOOST
NORTHERN POWERHOUSE MARITIME AGENDA GETS
COAST-TO-COAST BOOST
Two leading maritime organisations have joined forces to stimulate growth in marine, ports and energy business in the North.
Mersey Maritime and Team Humber Marine Alliance, representative bodies for the maritime sector, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) aimed at collaborating and presenting a united front in the Northern Powerhouse initiative.
Chris Shirling-Rooke, Chief Executive Officer of Mersey Maritime said: “We are really excited to have signed this agreement with Team Humber Marine Alliance. THMA is an excellent organisation that has done a lot of good work in the marine and offshore sector in the Yorkshire and Humber region of the UK. “Team Humber has the same vision as Mersey Maritime and by working together, sharing industry knowledge and best practices we hope to significantly increase activity and investment in the maritime industry across the two regions we represent.”
Mark O’Reilly, Chief Executive Officer of Team Humber Marine Alliance, said: “This agreement strengthens the offer of the North West and the Yorkshire and Humber regions. We are united in our mission to win more business for our members and our combined wealth of skills and capabilities are a force to be reckoned with. “Both areas have made great strides with the transformational Liverpool2 and Greenport Hull investments and we want to capitalise on these opportunities, enhance the skills base and create sustainable jobs.”
It is expected that the initiative will encourage member companies to enter into joint ventures, catalyse innovation as well as increase access to funding and skills development.
The two organisations have been in talks since they were introduced in 2015 through a UK Northern Powerhouse trade mission visiting offshore wind regions and organisations in the USA. This initiative builds upon a growing relationship between the Humber and Mersey regions across academia, public sector and business.
The MOU was signed at the third Mersey Maritime Industry Awards (MMIAs) in the presence of: David Dingle, Chairman of Carnival (Cunard & P&O Cruises) and Chairman of Maritime UK; Jacqueline Foster Conservative MEP for the North West and Spokesman on Transport & Tourism; Anne O’Byrne, Deputy Mayor of Liverpool City Council; Phil Davies Leader of Wirral Council; John Hulmes, Chairman Mersey Maritime; Camilla Carlbom, Vice Chairman of Team Humber Marine Alliance & Carlbom Shipping; Chris Shirling-Rooke, CEO Mersey Maritime and Mark O’Reilly, CEO & Chairman, Team Humber Marine Alliance.
For Further Information Please Contact:
Annette Parker, Commercial & Communications Manager, Mersey Maritime,
Tel: +44 (0)151 231 2959 / Email: annette.parker@merseymaritime.co.uk
Mary Green, Team Humber Marine Alliance, Wykeland House, 47 Queen Street, Hull HU1 1UU Tel +44 (0) 1482 485271 /Email: marygreen@thma.co.uk
Notes to Editors:
Mersey Maritime and Team Humber Marine Alliance are not-for profit business development organisations focusing on the maritime, ports and energy sectors.
Mersey Maritime Limited
Mersey Maritime is the private-public sector partnership that represents the interests of one of the largest UK clusters of marine and maritime businesses outside London within the following main sub-sectors: Shipping, Ports and Logistics; Maritime Services; Advanced Engineering; Offshore Energy; Professional Services. Mersey Maritime operates as a not-for-profit entity and funds its work on behalf of the cluster with income raised through membership, industry events and consultancy services. This is currently supported by funding from the European Regional Development Fund for the delivery of business support services under the New Markets 2 programme. The organisation has also entered into a partnership agreement with Liverpool John Moores University in 2015 to develop a global Maritime Knowledge Hub on Merseyside. Phase 1 of the Maritime Knowledge Hub opened in Birkenhead, Wirral, in March 2016. www.merseymaritime.co.uk
Team Humber
Team Humber Marine Alliance is a leading force in the marine and offshore sectors in the Humber and Yorkshire regions. Its 230+ member companies have full supply chain capabili-ties including in commercial shipping, marine engineering, support vessels, offshore ser-vices, professional services, specialist health & safety and ports & logistics.
The organisation works in support of this vast array of skills and expertise, promoting it re-gionally, nationally and globally and generating major opportunities and business for mem-bers.
With unsurpassed knowledge of capabilities in the region, Team Humber Marine Alliance has become a driving force in the Humber’s growth as an offshore wind player. Its influence extends to central government and world-leading OEMs, which it attracts to the area on a regular basis.
Team Humber Marine Alliance provides expert advice, brings companies together to collaborate on joint ventures and supply chain opportunities, lobbies the government and represents members at key UK and European conference and exhibitions. It also hosts and organises numerous events throughout the year, including the rapidly growing Offshore Wind Connections conference.