Leaders of the UK’s £116bn maritime sector will meet in Liverpool this summer for the fifth Mersey Maritime Exchange conference. Tony McDonough reports

UK maritime industry leaders will come together in Liverpool in June for the fifth annual Mersey Maritime Exchange.

First held in 2019 in Liverpool Town Hall, the Mersey Maritime Exchange was conceived in  response to the Government’s Maritime 2050 report. This sets out the future of the maritime sector over the next 30 years.

Each year the event welcomes leading figures in maritime, including representatives from port operators, shipping logistics specialists, tech firms, politicians, senior Government officials, academics and trade union leaders.

At the conference in 2022 at Liverpool Town Hall, Mersey Maritime published research that revealed the maritime sector was worth £5bn a year in Liverpool city region and supports almost 50,000 jobs.

This year’s Exchange event will be held in the Tung Auditorium in the Yoko Ono Lennon Centre in Oxford Street, close to the main campus of the University of Liverpool.

Chris Shirling-Rooke, chief executive at Mersey Maritime, said: “We are delighted and honoured to host the UK’s premier Maritime Exchange Conference again in Liverpool for the fifth year running.

“The conference shows the real confidence that industry and government have in both Mersey Maritime and our wider eco-system.

“We will be hearing from some of the most influential maritime stakeholders not just from the UK but globally too as well as a number of key industry announcements.

“Keep an eye out over the coming weeks for further announcements on speakers, sponsors and how to book tickets. Get in early to avoid any disappointment.”

Maritime 2050 focused on key areas of the maritime sector including technological transformation, decarbonisation and the development of a more inclusive, highly-trained workforce.

This year the Exchange will offer delegates a full day’s agenda exploring two of the most pressing themes for the industry – technology and innovation and people and skills. The conference will also be followed by an evening reception dinner.

Companies in attendance will hear about specific opportunities to get involved in key projects and initiatives. They can also network with colleagues from across the breadth and depth of the UK’s maritime industries.

In March LBN revealed Mersey Maritime is set to secure significant Government backing to fund its mission to take its successful ‘cluster’ model to ‘level up’ other coastal regions of the UK.

To find out more about the Mersey Maritime Exchange Conference 2023, to register interest for tickets, or to enquire about event sponsorship, click here.