A record 450 guests will gather at Liverpool FC on Thursday, March 8 for the awards ceremony which will celebrate excellence in Liverpool city region’s powerhouse maritime sector. Tony McDonough reports

 

Industry and political heavyweights from the Liverpool city region, across the UK and overseas will arrive in the city this week to celebrate Merseyside’s £4bn maritime sector.

Backed by big name industry sponsors including Beech Group, Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU), Peel Ports and Stream Marine Training, the Mersey Maritime Industry Awards (MMIAs) 2018 take place at Liverpool FC on Thursday, March 8.

The awards dinner, now in its fourth year, is a complete sell-out. Organisers are expecting a record 450 guests on the evening, all coming to celebrate the city’s region’s “best-kept secret” – a powerhouse maritime sector that accounts for 13% of the region’s annual GDP and employs 28,000 people.

Upward trajectory

It is a sector on an upward trajectory with Peel Ports investing £400m in its Liverpool2 deep water terminal at the Port of Liverpool and the iconic Cammell Laird shipyard bidding for the Royal Navy £1.25bn frigate programme, to give just two examples.

BBC Breakfast presenter Louise Minchin will host the MMIAs for the fourth year in a row and will introduce the key speaker for the evening – Eoin Mac Aoidh, a policy expert at the European Commission.

Other high profile figures at the dinner will include Liverpool City Region Metro Mayor, Steve Rotheram, Mark Turner from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, MEP Jacqueline Foster and Guy Platten, chief executive of the UK Chamber of Shipping.

They join other heavyweights including Mark Whitworth of Peel Ports; Professor Nigel Weathrill, Vice Chancellor of LJMU; Helen Kelly, Lloyds List; Andrew Moffat, chairman elect of Maritime UK; Richard Ballantyne, Chief Executive of the British Ports Association; Wirral Council leader Phil Davies and Lars Ugland of Ugland Shipping.

And giving the event a truly international flavour is a high-level delegation from the Port of Rotterdam – the largest port in Europe.

Exciting times

Chris Shirling-Rooke, chief executive of Mersey Maritime, said: “Central to the MMIAs is the celebration of excellence in Liverpool city region’s maritime sector but the scope of the awards is now much bigger.

“Our National Impact Award puts the event on a UK-wide stage and the calibre of attendees from both here and abroad gives it a truly global feel.

“Three centuries ago the Port of Liverpool established itself as a gateway to the world. Few other ports could match its strategic significance. Those great days are returning – from the giants such as Peel, investing to bring the world’s biggest ships to the Mersey, to our dynamic SMEs – at the forefront of technology and innovation.

“These are exciting times for the Liverpool city region maritime sector which is now rightly recognised as setting the example to other maritime clusters across Britain.”

Shortlist for the 2018 MMIAs is as follows:

Best Newcomer – Sponsored by Stellamar

Bibby Marine Services

Isle of Man Marine Cluster

Sensor City

Engineering Company of the Year – Sponsored by RSM UK

Accu-Right Engineering Limited

Dantec

James Troop & Co Ltd

Freight & Logistics Award – Sponsored by Seatruck Ferries

B&M

Liverpool John Lennon Airport & Wynne Aviation

Lombard Shipping & Forwarding

Global Reach Award – Sponsored by Natwest

Eldapoint Ltd

MIRIS

Royal HaskoningDHV

Innovation Award – Sponsored by Peel Ports

Accu-Right Engineering Limited

Liverpool John Moores University

Marlan Maritime Technologies

Maritime Professional Services Award – Sponsored by Tilney

GP Shipping

Hill Dickinson

Royal Haskoning DHV

Positive Impact Award – Sponsored by Associated British Ports (ABP)

Liverpool Seafarers Centre

Merseyside Adventure Sailing Trust (MAST)

The Engineering College

National Impact Award – Sponsored by Maritime UK

Merchant Navy Training Board

Orsted

Peel Ports Group

Survitec

Rising Star – Sponsored by Liverpool John Moores University

Sophie Phillips – Complete Training Solutions

Jamie Bates – Orsted

Emma Wilson – Peel Ports Group

Micro Business of the Year – Sponsored by MTC

Certa Elevators

Fort Recruitment

Sherringtons Associates

SME of the Year – Sponsored by Royal Haskoning DHV

Accu-Right Engineering Limited

Eldapoint Ltd

Offshore Painting Services

Star International

Business of the Year – Sponsored by Stream Marine Training

Accu-Right Engineering Limited

Seatruck Ferries Ltd

Royal HaskoningDHV