Across the Irish Sea, Mersey Maritime, the regional cluster organisation for the maritime industry in the Liverpool City Region and the greater North West, has put out the final call for entries for its ninth annual industry awards.

Now recognised as one of the biggest events in the calendar of the UK’s £116bn maritime sector, the Mersey Maritime Industry Awards (MMIAs) celebrate the achievements of the industry’s most outstanding companies and individuals.

Taking place in the magnificent surroundings of Liverpool Cathedral on Thursday, November 2, from 6.30pm to 11pm, the MMIAs are open to any business, company, individual, non-profit organisation or charity, operating in or supporting the maritime, logistics and energy sectors (not just members of Mersey Maritime).

Mersey Maritime welcomes entries from across the Liverpool City Region, where the thriving industry is worth £5bn a year, as well as the wider North West. Three of the 12 awards categories are also open to national entries.

There are still opportunities to join the growing list of sponsors at the event as well as purchasing tables and tickets. More than 600 industry professionals from across the UK are expected to attend.

The 12 awards categories are:

⦁ Business of the Year
⦁ Diversity Champion Award (national award)
⦁ Employer of the Year
⦁ Future Skills Award (national award)
⦁ International Trade Award
⦁ Maritime Ambassador Award
⦁ Maritime Professional Services Award
⦁ Net Zero Award (national award)
⦁ Positive Impact Award
⦁ Rising Star Award
⦁ Small Business of the Year
⦁ Technology & Innovation Award

Every application received is assessed by Mersey Maritime’s industry judging panel who select the finalists for each category following a rigorous process. The winner of each category will once again be determined by the industry itself, with an industry voting platform launching in early October 2023.

Founded in 2002, Mersey Maritime was conceived to create an ecosystem, championing and supporting one of the most diverse maritime regions in the UK. In the past few years, it has helped to accelerate the growth of the Liverpool city region maritime sector which is now recognised as one of the most successful industry clusters in Europe.

Mersey Maritime Interim Chief Executive, Ruth Wood, said: “In June we brought together UK maritime leaders, from industry, academia and Government, to discuss the key issues facing our sector today and over the coming decades. In November we will once again bring people from across the industry together to showcase and celebrate their fantastic achievements. This is fundamental to what we do at Mersey Maritime. Amid the breath-taking backdrop of Liverpool Cathedral, we will demonstrate what a dynamic and collaborative community the UK maritime industry is. And we want as many people as possible to be a part of it.”

For more details about the application process or to submit your entrant, click here. To book tickets or tables for the awards ceremony, click here. If you are interested in being one of the sponsors, click here.

Diamond Sponsors for the MMIAs are Kays Medical and Liverpool John Moores University. Category sponsors include Brookes Bell, Carmet Tug Company, Denholm Logistics, D Morgan, MTC, Nautilus International, Royal HaskoningDHV, and Royal Navy.