With hundreds of members, Mersey Maritime represents Liverpool city region’s £4bn powerhouse maritime sector, recognised as the most successful cluster in Europe

Industry body Mersey Maritime is on the shortlist for the first-ever Maritime UK National Awards.

With hundreds of members, Mersey Maritime represents Liverpool city region’s £4bn powerhouse maritime sector, recognised as the most successful cluster in Europe.

It is a finalist in the Coastal Powerhouse Award category, which was open to a business, charity, organisation or a cohort of any size who has proven themselves as a driver or catalyst for growth within a coastal community.

Two Mersey Maritime members – law firm Hill Dickinson and engineering consultancy Royal Haskoning – have also been shortlisted, both in the Employer of the Year category.

The awards are the first national maritime awards in the UK, organised by industry, for the benefit of industry. From a judging panel of internationally recognised maritime leaders, to an awards evening in Southampton, the awards process is a unique and impactful way to showcase the diversity of maritime business and celebrate a thriving sector, worth £37.4bn to the UK economy.

Mersey Maritime chief executive, Chris Shirling-Rooke, said: “Mersey Maritime is recognised as one of the world’s leading maritime cluster organisations by both the Department for Transport and the European Commission.

“We believe, since our foundation in 2003, that our values, passion and vision are helping to transform the Liverpool city region into a Coastal Powerhouse community. Being recognised as a finalist in this award category will help cement our reputation as a major driver of growth, jobs and collaboration across our sector in this part of the country.

“The maritime sector here in our region is made up of over 1200 business, employs over 28,000 people and is estimated to be worth in excess of £4bn to the economy.

“Our members are at the heart of what we do to showcase our area as leading the way in innovation, growth and job creation. Recognition in this awards’ final is testament to the strength and importance of the industry locally both now and in the future.”

Operating across the city region, Mersey Maritime works with businesses to develop strong, market-responsive supply chains and promotes Liverpool’s maritime industry as a world class centre of excellence.

Ben Murray, director of Maritime UK, added: “Our judges have been blown away by the quality of entries in these inaugural awards. The bar really has been set high and the panel have had a difficult task whittling it down to the final shortlist. Those who have been named as finalists should be very proud.”

The awards will take place at The Leonardo Royal Southampton Grand Harbour Hotel on the evening of September 19 and are hosted by the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership.