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Reporting on the latest developments from the UK’s maritime sector

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Maritime UK launches fourth national maritime awards

Maritime UK launched in November its national awards programme for 2023, celebrating a sector worth over £116bn to the UK economy and supporting over 1 million jobs. The Maritime Minister Baroness Charlotte Vere and Industry Minister Nusrat Ghani MP are both expected to attend.

Awarded for the first time in September 2019, the Maritime UK Awards are run by the industry for the benefit of the industry. From a judging panel of internationally recognised maritime leaders to an awards evening at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hull, the Maritime UK Awards are a unique and impactful way to showcase business, and collectively, to celebrate a thriving sector, worth £116bn to the UK economy.

Each year the Maritime UK Awards rotate around the UK, having visited Plymouth, Portsmouth and Glasgow so far, the 2023 Awards will visit Hull. The portal for submissions opened in November.

The Maritime UK Awards are open to organisations from across the breadth of the maritime sector and its component shipping, ports, services, engineering, science, and leisure marine industries. Since the launch of Maritime 2050 in 2019, which set out the government’s vision and ambitions for the future of the sector, the award categories are designed to mirror its themes.

In the past year, since the sector came together in Glasgow, Maritime UK has published its 2022 State of the Maritime Nation report which revealed the £116bn economic impact of UK maritime, supporting over 1.1 million jobs and paying 30% more than the national average. The sector has seen significant activity and progress in recent months, with the launch of the National Shipbuilding Strategy, the third round of the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition and the development of Freeports.

Award season

March 2022’s awards were held in Glasgow, where the winners included: Onboard Maritime, Serco, Babcock LGE, Cavendish Nuclear, Artemis Technologies, Plymouth Boat Trips, Solent Local Enterprise Partnership, CyberOwl, Port of Cromarty Firth, Cowes Enterprise College, FrazerNash Consultancy, PD Ports, Blackpool and The Fylde College, and Peel Ports.

The fourth Maritime UK Awards will be held at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hull, on Thursday 9th March 2023. With over 800 years of seafaring history, Hull was chosen as the host for the 2023 awards to shine a light on a city that can be considered a powerhouse for trade and one cementing its position at the heart of a new green industrial revolution. Associated British Ports have been announced as Diamond Sponsors for the 2023 Awards.

Maritime UK announced the first six category sponsors as Nautilus International (Bevis Minter Award), Trinity House (Future Skills Award), Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult (Clean Maritime Innovator), Associated British Ports (Clean Maritime Operator) the Department for Transport (Maritime 2050 Award), Lloyd’s Register (Clean Maritime Enabler) and Port of London Authority (Innovation Award).

Opportunities in Hull

“We are hugely excited that Hull will host the Maritime UK Awards,” said Sarah Kenny, Maritime UK Chair. “These awards shine a spotlight on different parts of our maritime nation. In Hull, and the Humber as a whole, we have an incredibly compelling maritime proposition as one of the UK’s largest ports complex, the fourth largest trading estuary in Northern Europe and a strong focus on the offshore renewable energy sector.

“2022 has been a year of significant activity for the maritime sector, and there is real momentum across the sector as we target our Maritime 2050 ambitions. The 2023 awards will, therefore, be a fantastic opportunity to showcase and celebrate the growing number of world-leading projects, developments and initiatives helping to ensure the UK’s position as the most innovative, competitive, and sustainable maritime centre by the middle of this century.”

Maritime UK is the umbrella body for the maritime sector, bringing together the shipping, ports, services, engineering and leisure marine industries. Maritime UK also has responsibility for the coordination and delivery of industry recommendations within Maritime 2050. n