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28th November 2023

Mersey Maritime Awards Celebrate Liverpool City Region Sectors of Industry Excellence

Mersey Maritime's 9th Annual Industry Awards were hosted at the iconic Liverpool Cathedral, marking a significant highlight in the UK maritime sector’s calendar.

More than over 550 distinguished guests (YouTube highlights) on 2nd November from across the United Kingdom and beyond to come together to recognise outstanding achievements and innovations in the maritime industry.

The awards process received an overwhelming response, with more than 100 individual applications submitted on behalf of over 50 diverse businesses and organisations. These submissions represented various sectors within the maritime industry, underscoring the broad spectrum of talent and expertise in the field. The rigorous judging process, which included expert assessment and an industry-wide vote, saw a record-breaking 2,500 votes cast, showcasing the sector’s deep interest in and commitment to the awards.

This year, Sam Quek MBE, Olympic gold medallist and TV presenter, assumed the role of host for the evening. Born and raised in the North West, Sam brought a deep connection to the region, adding a personal touch to the event.

A key highlight of the evening was the keynote address delivered by Katherine Fairclough, CEO of Liverpool City Region Combined Authority. In her address, Katherine, emphasised the pivotal role of the maritime industry in driving growth and investment within the Liverpool City Region. Her insights and vision for the future underscored the critical importance of the sector in the region’s economic development and global standing.

The prestigious Business of the Year Award was presented to Stone Marine Shipcare Ltd, an exemplary company renowned for its dedication and excellence in the maritime sector. Stone Marine Shipcare Ltd was founded in 1946 and has a rich history of providing comprehensive marine services in the Liverpool City Region and beyond.

The highly sought-after Maritime Ambassador Award was awarded to Sir Michael Bibby, a distinguished figure known for his outstanding contribution to the maritime industry over the course of his career. Sir Michael has been a prominent and influential leader in the sector, serving as the former CEO of the Bibby Line Group, a renowned shipping and logistics company; one of the oldest family maritime companies in the region. His visionary leadership and advocacy for the maritime industry have left a lasting mark on it and this award was clear recognition of that fact.

Diamond sponsors for the event were Kays Medical, Liverpool John Moores University, and Peel Ports Group, alongside other category sponsors. The awards celebrated the best-in-class within the maritime sector and highlighted the Liverpool City Region’s commitment to driving growth and investment.

As part of the proceedings, those attending were invited to support Mersey Maritime’s chosen charity for 2023, The Hive, which is based in Wirral. The Hive Youth Zone in Birkenhead is a state-of-the-art purpose-built centre for young people within our area, where 1 in 3 children live in poverty. The Hive exists to help young people feel happy, healthy and to thrive within their community. Always putting young people first, they combine high quality youth work with inspiring activities in an inclusive, safe space. We are delighted to announce that an astonishing £33,000 was raised on the night to support the vitally important work of this exceptional local charity. We pay tribute to all those who were so generous in responding to this call to action – thank you!

Ruth Wood, CEO at Mersey Maritime, commented on the event, stating: “These awards are a testament to the exceptional standards and world-class expertise on display within the Liverpool City Region’s maritime community. The sector contributes over £5 billion to the region’s economy, supporting over 45,000 jobs. Mersey Maritime was established to create an ecosystem that champions one of the most diverse maritime regions globally. We are honoured to have played a role in fostering a thriving and internationally significant maritime cluster, built on collaboration and excellence. Our commitment remains unchanged: to support job creation and champion industry growth. We were delighted once again to recognise so much success in our region over the last year with yet another successful Mersey Maritime Industry Awards.”

Katherine Fairclough, CEO of Liverpool City Region Combined Authority said: “The Maritime Sector has always been a vital part of our city region’s economy and we have led the way ever since the world’s first commercial wet dock opened here in 1715. The excellence on show at these awards clearly demonstrates that leading role continuing today.

“Through exciting developments including the Liverpool City Region Freeport and the Mersey Tidal Power project, the Combined Authority, led by Mayor Steve Rotheram and our six Local Council Leaders, is working to ensure that proud history of entrepreneurship and innovation contributes to a bright future for our whole city region.”

Maritime Minister Baroness Vere said: “For over two decades, Mersey Maritime has championed the world-class businesses and organisations across the North West’s thriving maritime sector, and I’d like to congratulate the worthy nominees and winners for their success at this year’s awards event.

“Liverpool has a strong and historic maritime past but it’s also fantastic to see industry’s commitment to the sector’s future, reflecting the shared goal of both industry and government to boost UK wide trade, decarbonise, and improve the air quality in our coastal communities as we build a greener, cleaner maritime industry.”

The full list of Mersey Maritime Industry Awards winners is as follows: 

Business of the Year, sponsored by Maersk: Stone Marine Shipcare Ltd
Diversity Champion Award, sponsored by Peel Ports Group: Maersk
Commitment to Maritime in LCR Award: Brian Melia – Cruise Liverpool
Employer of the Year, sponsored by Kays Medical: National Oceanography Centre
Future Skills Award, sponsored by Nautilus International: Cammell Laird Shiprepairers & Shipbuilders Ltd
International Trade Award, sponsored by Brookes Bell: Royal HaskoningDHV
Maritime Professional Services Award, sponsored by BAE Systems: Hill Dickinson LLP
Net Zero Award, sponsored by Liverpool John Moores University: Svitzer
Positive Impact Award, sponsored by Cammell Laird: Battle of the Atlantic Memorial
Rising Star Award, sponsored by Royal Navy: Leah Rogers – Thetius
SME of The Year, sponsored by Denholm Logistics: The SeaKing Group
Technology & Innovation Award, sponsored by MTC: Brookes Bell

To view all wTo view all winners, click here.

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National Yacht Club Facilities

Facilities include a slipway directly accessing Dun Laoghaire Harbour, over eighty club moorings, platform parking, pontoons, fuelling, watering and crane-lifting ensure that the NYC is excellently equipped to cater for all the needs of the contemporary sailor. Berths with diesel, water, power and overnight facilities are available to cruising yachtsmen with shopping facilities being a short walk away. The club is active throughout the year with full dining and bar facilities and winter activities include bridge, snooker, quiz nights, wine tasting and special events.

National Yacht Club History

Although there are references to an active “club” prior to 1870, history records that the present clubhouse was erected in 1870 at a cost of £4,000 to a design by William Sterling and the Kingstown Royal Harbour Boat Club was registered with Lloyds in the same year. By 1872 the name had been changed to the Kingston Harbour Boat Club and this change was registered at Lloyds.

In 1881. the premises were purchased by a Captain Peacocke and others who formed a proprietary club called the Kingstown Harbour Yacht Club again registered at Lloyds. Some six years later in 1877 the building again changed hands being bought by a Mr Charles Barrington. and between 1877 and 1901 the club was very active and operated for a while as the “Absolute Club” although this change of name was never registered.

In 1901, the lease was purchased by three trustees who registered it as the Edward Yacht Club. In 1930 at a time when the Edward Yacht Club was relatively inactive, a committee including The Earl of Granard approached the trustees with a proposition to form the National Yacht Club. The Earl of Granard had been Commodore of the North Shannon Y.C. and was a senator in the W.T.Cosgrave government. An agreement was reached, the National Yacht Club was registered at Lloyds. The club burgee was created, red cross of Saint George with blue and white quarters being sky cloud, sea and surf. The Earl of Granard became the first Commodore.

In July of 1950, a warrant was issued to the National Yacht Club by the Government under the Merchant Shipping Act authorising members to hoist a club ensign in lieu of the National Flag. The new ensign to include a representation of the harp. This privilege is unique and specific to members of the National Yacht Club. Sterling’s design for the exterior of the club was a hybrid French Chateau and eighteenth century Garden Pavilion and today as a Class A restricted building it continues to provide elegant dining and bar facilities.

An early drawing of the building shows viewing balconies on the roof and the waterfront façade. Subsequent additions of platforms and a new slip to the seaward side and most recently the construction of new changing rooms, offices and boathouse provide state of the art facilities, capable of coping with major international and world championship events. The club provides a wide range of sailing facilities, from Junior training to family cruising, dinghy sailing to offshore racing and caters for most major classes of dinghies, one design keelboats, sports boats and cruiser racers. It provides training facilities within the ISA Youth Sailing Scheme and National Power Boat Schemes.

Past Commodores

1931 – 42 Earl of Granard 1942 – 45 T.J. Hamilton 1945 – 47 P.M. Purcell 1947 – 50 J.J. O’Leary 1950 – 55 A.A. Murphy 1955 – 60 J.J. O’Leary 1960 – 64 F. Lemass 1964 – 69 J.C. McConnell 1969 – 72 P.J. Johnston 1972 – 74 L. Boyd 1974 – 76 F.C. Winkelmann 1976 – 79 P.A. Browne 1979 – 83 W.A. Maguire 1983 – 87 F.J. Cooney 1987 – 88 J.J. Byrne 1988 – 91 M.F. Muldoon 1991 – 94 B.D. Barry 1994 – 97 M.P.B. Horgan 1997 – 00 B. MacNeaney 2000 – 02 I.E. Kiernan 2002 – 05 C.N.I. Moore 2005 – 08 C.J. Murphy 2008 – 11 P.D. Ryan 2011 – P. Barrington 2011-2014 Larry Power 2014-2017 Ronan Beirne 2017 – 2019

At A Glance - National Yacht Club 2024 Events