Maritime UK is launching its national awards programme for 2022, celebrating a sector worth over £46.1bn to the UK economy and supporting over 1 million jobs.
Held 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 Glasgow Science Centre, the Maritime UK Awards are a unique and impactful way to showcase individual business, and collectively, to celebrate a thriving sector, worth £46.1bn to the UK economy.
Long-term strategy
The portal for submissions has opened now. The Maritime UK Awards are open to organisations from across the breadth of the maritime sector and its component shipping, ports, services, engineering, and leisure marine industries.
Maritime UK published a stocktake of progress in implementing the strategy
With the UK government having launched its first long-term strategy for the sector, Maritime 2050, the award categories mirror its themes. In June 2021, Maritime UK published a stocktake of progress in implementing the strategy, with demonstrable progress being made across the board. The 2022 awards will enable many of the projects being delivered in response to Maritime 2050 to be brought to national prominence.
Country's shipbuilding industry
The third Maritime UK Awards are being held at the Glasgow Science Centre, on the banks of the River Clyde, synonymous with the country's shipbuilding industry. Glasgow has been chosen as the host for the 2022 awards to build upon the sector's activity at COP26. For the second time, the Department for Transport's Clean Maritime Awards will be included in the programme.
The 2020 awards were held in Plymouth, where the winners included: STEM Returners, Actisense, Tanki, Port of Cromarty Firth, Babcock International, Princess Yachts, Solent LEP, Artemis Technologies, Port of Tyne, VIRSEC and Tapiit Live. Maritime UK announces the first two category sponsors as MalinGroup (Innovation Award) and Nautilus International (Bevis Minter Award).
Ship management cluster
2021 has been a year of significant activity for the maritime sector"
Sarah Kenny, Maritime UK Chair said: “We are hugely excited that Glasgow will host the Maritime UK Awards. We have been determined that the awards will shine a spotlight on different parts of our maritime nation, and in Glasgow and Scotland as a whole, we have an incredibly compelling maritime proposition as the UK’s second-largest cluster. It offers Europe’s largest ship management cluster, world class naval ship design, build and support, globally recognised support to offshore energy operations, world-class nautical training and maritime universities and academics."
“2021 has been a year of significant activity for the maritime sector, whether on Freeports, the National Shipbuilding Strategy, Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition, London International Shipping Week, COP26 or at October's Budget and Spending Review, where the Chancellor announced reforms to Tonnage Tax. The 2022 awards will therefore be a fantastic opportunity to showcase and celebrate the growing number of world-leading projects helping to ensure the UK's position as the most innovative, competitive, and sustainable maritime centre by the middle of this century."
Recognised maritime leaders
The Maritime UK Awards will be judged by a panel of internationally recognised maritime leaders, who will be profiled over the coming weeks.
2022’s award categories are:
- Diversity Champion Award
- Innovation Award
- Clean Maritime Innovator
- Clean Maritime Enabler
- Clean Maritime Operator
- Coastal Powerhouse Award
- International Trade Award
- Employer of the Year Award
- Start-up of the Year Award
- Future Skills Award
- Business of the Year Award
- Maritime 2050 Award
- Apprentice of the Year Award
- Bevis Minter Award
Cross-sector initiatives
Any surplus generated from the awards will be ploughed back into Maritime UK’s cross-sector initiatives
Any surplus generated from the awards will be ploughed back into Maritime UK’s cross-sector initiatives like Diversity in Maritime, the Careers & Outreach Programme or Regional Cluster Development Programme. Maritime UK is hugely grateful to its sponsors for enabling delivery of this national celebration of all things maritime. Maritime UK is seeking sponsors to help deliver the awards, and those interested are asked to contact Harvey Tebay.
Timeline of events:
- 13 December - Submissions open
- 28 January – Submissions close
- 31 January – Judging opens
- 7 February – Finalists announced
- 10 March – Awards evening