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Technological innovation driven by a skilled workforce that is ‘fit for the future’ is critical to the future growth of the UK’s £116 billion maritime sector. That was the overall message delivered by speakers at the fifth annual Mersey Maritime Exchange conference in Liverpool, United Kingdom. Organised by Mersey Maritime, the event brought together industry and Government leaders in the industry. Mersey Maritime Exchange 2023 The Exchange used the Government’s Maritime 2050 strategy as the focus for the conversations Similar to previous events, the Exchange used the Government’s Maritime 2050 strategy as the focus for the conversations. This sets out the future of the maritime sector over the next 30 years. Top of the agenda was innovation, decarbonisation, skills and digital technology. Addressing the audience at the Tung Auditorium at the University of Liverpool, Government transport minister Baroness Vere said it was essential the government and the industry worked together to create a ‘safer, cleaner and greener sector’. Maritime 2050 strategy Speaking about the conference and its importance, Baroness Vere stated: “This is bringing together the whole breadth of the maritime sector. There is a big focus on the delivery of the Maritime 2050 strategy. When we visit Liverpool we hear from local businesses. Technology and innovation and people and skills are topics that are constantly raised.” She adds, “Liverpool has an incredibly rich maritime history. Mersey Maritime and its partners are building on that with the creation of the Maritime Knowledge Hub.” UK SHORE (UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions) Baroness Vere spoke of the success of UK SHORE (UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions). It has been tasked with allocating £206 million to fund projects designed to help slash emissions across the maritime sector. “This is the biggest ever investment into maritime research and development by the Government and industry,” said Baroness Vere, adding “Some of the beneficiaries of that are based here in Merseyside. There has also been £204 million made available for maritime skills. We need to have a workforce that is fit for the future and is leading the change with a commitment to making that workforce as diverse as possible.” First meeting of the Maritime Council This was the first Industry-Government paper that has been published since World War II" She also referred to the first meeting of the Maritime Council, which is a forum to drive collaboration between Government and the maritime sector to meet future challenges and opportunities. Mersey Maritime’s Chief Executive, Chris Shirling-Rooke, who is soon to depart to take up the role of CEO at Maritime UK, said the Maritime Council was already proving to be ‘incredibly energising’. He stated: “Maritime 2050 is incredibly current. This was the first Industry-Government paper that has been published since World War II.” Forge close links with Liverpool's maritime sector Professor Tim Jones, who this year took up the role of Vice-Chancellor of the University of Liverpool, said he was determined to forge closer links with the Liverpool city region maritime sector, which is now worth £5 billion a year and provides tens of thousands of jobs. Professor Tim Jones said, “Liverpool is a port city and I think the university can do a lot more. We carry out fantastic research and innovation here. The drive towards digitalisation is something that we have a particular strength in.” Holly Norman, the Head of Marketing for Ancoris, the Maritime Exchange headline sponsors, also addressed delegates at the event. Ancoris is a Google Cloud services provider. Emergence and growth of artificial intelligence (AI) Holly Norman talked about the emergence and growth of artificial intelligence (AI) Holly Norman talked about the emergence and growth of artificial intelligence (AI), and how many businesses and individuals were confused about what it means for them. Holly Norman stated, “We want to engage with people on AI. The point is that we are very early on in the AI journey. If you don’t know where to go or what to do, then you are not alone. We are at a pivotal point. Different industries will be disrupted at different times and will move at a different pace. It is up to us how we want to adapt to the transformation, business and technology has to be in the same room.” Focus on technology and innovation Holly Norman adds, “Lasting for a full day, the day was split into two parts across four panel sessions. In the morning the focus was on technology and innovation, exploring decarbonisation and digitisation, and in the afternoon the focus shifted to people and skills, including future skills and maritime careers.” As well as headline sponsor – Ancoris, other sponsors were Bibby Marine, Liverpool John Moores University, Nautilus International and the Royal Navy. Highly complex maritime industry In his closing remarks to the Mersey Maritime Exchange, Chris Shirling-Rooke, said the depth and breadth of the discussions had illustrated ‘just how complex our industry is’, adding: “It is too deep and too complex to get everything down in a single day. Our industry puts £116 billion into the UK economy every year and provides 1.1 million jobs.” He continues, “And we forget how wages in our industry are higher than the national average. We offer the ultimate hi-tech jobs and they will become more important as we move forward. It is about our supply chains, about how we get our food, as we are an island nation and our sector is the only game in town.” Maritime sector critical to Britain’s coastal communities Chris explained how vital the maritime sector is to Britain’s coastal communities, which are sometimes in the most deprived areas of the country. He said: “We can really have an impact on those communities. Whether it is decarbonisation or digitalisation or future skills, we need to keep pushing on these to drive our industry forward.” Chris identified the ‘three Cs’ – challenging, clarity and collaboration. It was vital the industry kept on challenging itself, he said, adding that thanks to Maritime 2050 and events such as the Exchange, the sector now had a clear sight of the direction in which it needed to go. Collaboration was important, he concluded, because ‘no matter what the size of your business we all have a role to play in making a difference’.

Decarbonisation and the battle against climate change will only be achieved by a global effort – and ‘the UK can lead the world.’ That is the view of Victoria Race, Deputy Director of Maritime Policy at the Department for Transport, who opened the first panel session at the Maritime Exchange conference at the Tung Auditorium in Liverpool. Two panel sessions Chaired by Mersey Maritime Chief Executive Chris Shirling-Rooke, the decarbonisation panel was one of two panel sessions in the morning of the event under the technology and innovation banner. UK SHORE and the Clean Maritime Challenge has shown the importance of a joint approach" Also on the panel was David Browne, General Manager at shipping and logistics giant Maersk, Rod Paterson, Deputy Director of the National Shipbuilding Office and Enora Pichon, an Innovation Engineer at Bibby Marine. Victoria Race said: “Decarbonisation is now our biggest challenge… UK SHORE (a £206m project to support maritime industry innovation) and the Clean Maritime Challenge has shown the importance of a joint approach.” Methanol-powered container vessels “Projects are match funded… Government alone cannot solve this problem. We need industry to join us as well. This is a global effort to decarbonise, and the UK can lead the way on this.” David Browne talked about the efforts Maersk was making towards its own goals of becoming a net zero carbon business by 2040. It services 100,000 customers in more than 130 countries by road, sea, air and rail. This year will see the first of a new fleet of methanol-powered container vessels. The company is also retrofitting an existing container vessel to be powered by alternative fuels. Many areas of industry Rod Paterson said decarbonisation was ‘fundamental’ to the work of the National Shipbuilding Office" However, he warned that while many areas of industry were investing in decarbonisation there were businesses ‘on the periphery.’ He urged those present to put pressure on their own suppliers and customers to join the push. “We have to make progress in this decade. The challenges are substantial. If we want everyone to get behind it, then we have to create a level playing field. The pressure needs to come from consumers – and I don’t necessarily mean the end consumer but from freight consumers. Rod Paterson said decarbonisation was ‘fundamental’ to the work of the National Shipbuilding Office. He said it was not just concerned with bigger ships but was focused on all aspects of the supply chain and on aspects such as offshore wind.” Offshore wind and energy sectors He also said it was important to be open about the scale of finance that will be required to get the maritime sector to net zero by 2050. “I’ve heard figures talked about in the region of £75bn over the next 30 years. UK SHORE has been phenomenally successful but it is not yet at the scale or magnitude of what is needed.” UK SHORE has been phenomenally successful but it is not yet at the scale or magnitude of what is needed" “We do need to look at different forms of. There is a Government spending review on the horizon and it is critical we build on the success of UK SHORE.” Based in Liverpool, Bibby Marine has itself been the recipient of Government support as it looks to develop net zero offshore support vessels for the offshore wind and energy sectors. Cutting edge technology Enora Pichon talked about the need to look beyond just building the vessels. She added: “We need to look at things such as charging points in ports. It is easy to demonstrate the concept but in order to move forward we need to take a holistic approach.” ‘Joining the dots’ between all players and stakeholders in the maritime sector was key to successfully introducing cutting edge technology such as AI into the maritime sector. This was one of one of the major themes raised in the digitisation panel at the Exchange – the second panel of the day. Civil engineering firm Ruth Wood, who will take over as interim Chief Executive of Mersey Maritime on July 1, chaired the panel Taking part in the discussion was Matt Frank, Chief AI Officer at Ancoris, the headline sponsor of the conference, Mark Rathbone, a Corporate Partner at law firm Brabners and one of founders of the LCR Angel Network, Gary Doyle, Group Harbour Master at Peel Ports, and Richard Willis, a Technical Director from civil engineering firm Royal HaskoningDHV. Ruth Wood, who will take over as interim Chief Executive of Mersey Maritime on July 1, chaired the panel. Matt Frank remarked how impressed he was with the ‘confluence’ of different players – business, local government, central government, academia and the military – that had gathered for the conference. More holistic approach “In this country we have the UK’s historic maritime capabilities and the UK also has capabilities in technology and AI. Google has several thousand engineers across the country,” he said. “We need to think deeply about supply chains… it is about bringing different suppliers into those supply chains – about taking a more holistic approach.” Infrastructure is important but we cannot do it without the skills" He added that although everyone agreed that we needed to digitise there was not yet a common definition of the term. He explained: “It means different things to different industries at different times.” The key, he explained, was not to start with the technology but to first identify what you are trying to achieve – ‘don’t go too big too quickly.’ “There is also a massive skills challenge. Infrastructure is important but we cannot do it without the skills,” he said. Generating new data And referring to AI, Matt said that we needed now to look beyond traditional AI into what is known as ‘generative AI’. This is AI that learns the structure of its inputted data and then is able to independently generate new data and content. Gary Doyle said Peel Ports, which is the UK’s second-biggest port operator, had made big progress in using technology to centralise all its port operations in Liverpool. “We fused our operations into one control centre. That did have its challenges and one of the problems we encountered was the loss of mobile phone signals at some locations.” Climate resilience and decarbonisation Richard Willis also referred to autonomous vehicles on port estate He also talked about the development opportunities for autonomous vessels, something Peel Ports had already started to deploy. Gary added: “We are nicely placed right on the Atlantic and we have to ask where that is going next.” Richard Willis also referred to autonomous vehicles on port estates. For the first time, he explained, such vehicles weren’t just ‘operating behind a fence’ but were now being used in the same space as vehicles being driven by people. “That is starting to become commonplace,” he added. “And the need for climate resilience and decarbonisation will mean we need more data and tools and that will impact ports even more.” New business accelerator “We work for ports all over the world and the push for both digitisation and decarbonisation is strong. Collaboration can be difficult in parts and we need to break down that mindset and persuade people to see the big picture.” As well as helping to set up the LCR Angel Network, Mark Rathbone has played a role in establishing Baltic Ventures, a new business accelerator in Liverpool that is looking to attract outside investors for fledgling Liverpool City Region tech businesses. “It is important to change the way we do things and be open to new adaptations. And we cannot just rely on the larger corporates to innovate – in fact they often struggle to be truly innovative. We need to encourage that among early-stage businesses… What we have been trying to do in the Liverpool city region is grow that ecosystem because that has been lacking.”

Both the UK military and the £116bn maritime industry face the same tough challenges when it comes to recruiting the right people with the right skills for the next few decades. That was the clear message that came from the afternoon session of the fifth Maritime Exchange conference held in Liverpool. Organised by Mersey Maritime, the event brought together UK maritime leaders at the Tung Auditorium at the University of Liverpool. Decarbonisation and digitisation Two-panel sessions in the morning focused on decarbonisation and digitisation of the industry. In the afternoon skills and careers were put in the spotlight in another two lively panel discussions. Opening the afternoon period was Commodore Phil Waterhouse of the Royal Navy who is also a Board Member of Mersey Maritime. Haythornthwaite report findings The 135-page report said the UK’s army, air force and navy were all struggling to recruit people with the right technological skills In a keynote address Commodore Waterhouse, Naval Regional Commander for Northern England and the Isle of Man revealed the findings of the Haythornthwaite report that was published by the British Government last week. Written by businessman Rick Haythornthwaite, the 135-page report said the UK’s army, air force and navy were all struggling to recruit people with the right technological skills. This, it outlined, represented a real threat to the UK’s military’s operational effectiveness and its capacity to cope in a modern conflict such as the current war in Ukraine. Addressing the traditional “take-it-or-leave-it” approach The report said: “Will the people system at the heart of (the UK’s) military capability work when tested? Will it still have the strength, agility, skill, adaptability, and resolve we have seen from the Ukrainian armed forces or will that core prove hollow?” It added that the UK’s military’s “take it or leave it” approach to recruitment needed to change as it was competing with the private sector for the same set of cyber-related and technological skills that would be critical in the next few years. Paradigm shift It referred to a paradigm shift where in a competitive workplace potential employers were having to tailor their offer to attract the right people. Careers seekers now looked for employers that were welcoming and were clear about career progression and a nurturing environment. In contrast, the British military’s “company approach” is like “one size fits no one”. First-panel session Discussion on future skills In the first panel session, Simon Eardley chaired the discussion on future skills In the first panel session of the afternoon Mersey Maritime’s Head of Policy and Partnerships, Simon Eardley chaired the discussion on future skills. On the panel was Brian Johnson, UK Business Development Director at defence giant BAE Systems, Ben Murray, Director of Government and Corporate Affairs at shipbuilder Harland and Wolff, Rachel Lynch, a Strategic Organiser at seafarers’ union Nautilus International and Liverpool John Moores University Senior Maritime Lecturer Dr. Dimitrios Paraskevadakis. AI-based advanced warships Brian Johnson kicked off the discussion by echoing the issues raised in the military recruitment report. Over the next couple of decades, BAE will be building the most advanced warships ever designed. They will be packed with AI and the latest technology. When recruiting they not only have to consider what skills they need right now, but the skills they will need in years to come. New skills and skilled technicians “I’m regularly in meetings where I am talking about things that are one or two decades ahead… we will have to employ people who understand that technology and how it will be deployed.” He went on, “The ships we are making are very complex. And the skills that we need for them are the same skills the software market is looking for… it is a constant challenge when you are competing with tech giants for systems engineers.” Maritime strategy and a shipbuilding strategy A few years ago when Harland & Wolff in Belfast advertised for apprentices, but they weren't getting enough applicants" Ben Murray said it was good the UK had both a maritime strategy and a shipbuilding strategy. He explained, “A few years ago when Harland & Wolff in Belfast advertised for apprentices, they weren’t getting enough applicants. But since they see ships in the yard it gives them more confidence and now we are over-subscribed.” Automation He added that rather than fearing the emergence of AI and new technology, the workforce at Harland and Wolff was broadly welcoming and didn’t see it as a threat to their jobs. He added, “When it comes to automation there is a real positive view from people. They see that if we are more efficient and more competitive then we will get more orders… it is all about how we redeploy people and bring them along with us.” Paying attention to seafarers There was a warning from Rachel Lynch that the Government had become too focused on technology in the maritime sector and was not paying enough attention to the welfare of its seafarers. “The Government must start investing in people,” she said. “There is now a very high drop-out rate among sea cadets. If we want to inspire people to pursue maritime careers, then they must address the problems in the system." Fragmented industry Dr. Paraskevadakis pointed out that one of the challenges faced by the maritime industry “We are sending 18 and 19-year-olds onto ships on the other side of the world where they have no contact with their family or friends… Investing in maritime careers is critical. They must put people at the heart of the sector’s future.” Dr. Paraskevadakis pointed out that one of the challenges faced by the maritime industry was that it was “too fragmented”. Smart solutions “I see tech companies offering their smart solutions to ports. What will happen is we will come to have too many solutions and not one common solution.” He added that while STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) were important in terms of maritime careers it was also vital to focus on other skills such as net zero, leadership, and logistics. Careers panel Diversity and inclusion were put forward as a powerful solution to the recruitment problem in the maritime during the final panel session of the Maritime Exchange. This was chaired by Ruth Wood, soon-to-be interim Chief Executive of Mersey Maritime. On the panel was Belén Ripoll, Director of People and Talent at cloud consultancy Ancoris, Richard Ballantyne OBE, Chief Executive of the British Ports Association, Jo McCaffrey, Employer Partnerships Manager at Generation UK & Ireland, Scarlett Black, a Programme Executive (skills) at Maritime UK, and Commander Robin Donavan, Head of Royal Navy Recruitment. Addressing the absence of accessible routes If people don’t have an accessible route into the maritime sector then it will not be able to recruit them Generation UK & Ireland is a non-profit that helps people get access to careers where they would normally struggle to find pathways. They may be from disadvantaged or minority communities or don’t have access to the right networks. “Talent is equally distributed, but opportunity isn’t,” said Jo. If people don’t have an accessible route into the maritime sector then it will not be able to recruit them. Need for a diverse workforce “From my perspective, looking at maritime as a huge employer in the Liverpool City Region I’m not sure it is fully representative of many of the people who live here.” She added, “Why would you not want a diverse workforce? You are bringing in people from a variety of backgrounds all with different ideas." Robust onboarding process “One of the issues is how employers describe entry-level roles. It often looks like they are looking for the perfect person that doesn’t exist. They also need more robust onboarding processes to make sure they retain people.” Richard Ballantyne agreed that more needed to be done for the maritime workforce to be more diverse and inclusive, but added, “At least we are talking about it now. It is not just the right thing to do but it will mean we will attract more of the people and skills we need." Inclusive workforce It is a challenge to get everyone working together alongside their competitors but we are getting there" “There was a time when someone could walk down to a port and get a job straight away. Now ports are surrounded by fences and that just isn’t possible anymore. So we need to work harder to get the message out about how to access careers." “It is a challenge to get everyone working together alongside their competitors but we are getting there.” Recruitment problem Scarlett Black used the example of her younger sister to illustrate the recruitment problem that maritime has. She explained, “She is doing her A Levels and attended an open day on STEM careers, out of 10 speakers, not one came from the maritime sector. Maritime needs to be talking in schools and colleges." Need for welcoming and upskilling offers "At Maritime UK we are now working to address that. Careers need to be more welcoming and need to offer upskilling. It needs to be serious about diversity and get more women interested.” She insisted that diversity needs to be more than just a tick-box exercise, adding, “It needs to involve everyone in the industry, not just those who are already working on diversity.” Employer value proposition Belén Ripoll said employers needed to think about what she called the ‘employer value proposition’. She explained, “What are the policies of your organisation, what is the culture?" “Attracting and retaining talent is a big issue in all sectors of business, not just maritime.” Challenges in recruitment Often we are recruiting people who already have an emotional connection to the service" Commander Donavan oversees 47 naval careers offices across the UK. He and his team have a target of finding 5,000 recruits for the Royal Navy and the Royal Marines each year. And he says the challenge is getting more difficult. “Often we are recruiting people who already have an emotional connection to the service, maybe through family or friends."  Adopt new working practices "But it is a real challenge to meet our targets, particularly for engineering roles. People are looking at potentially longer deployments." "If you have someone with a young family how do you persuade them to spend six months at sea away from them? We have to look at how we adopt new working practices.”