Mersey Maritime: Small Business at Heart of Isle of Man Partnership
UK Industry trade body Mersey Maritime has announced a new trade agreement with the Isle of Man Shipping Association (IOMSA) which aims to supercharge bilateral trade, particularly among small to medium sized businesses.
The agreement was announced at a special reception during the International Festival of Business in Liverpool UK and has resulted from a series of discussions facilitated by the Isle of Man Ship Registry, which is an Executive Club member of Mersey Maritime, and other IoM based companies such as software engineer PDMS, both of which are also involved with IOMSA. The reception was hosted by maritime law firm Hill Dickinson.
Chris Shirling-Rooke, Mersey Maritime chief executive, who has helped build closer links with numerous visits to the Isle of Man, said Mersey Maritime represents more than 1200 companies generating more than £3billion while the Isle of Man marine industry is also growing.
“This is an ambitious partnership which can build a bridge for years to come between the historic and dynamic maritime sectors of Merseyside and the Isle of Man,” he said. “Mersey Maritime has just launched Phase 1 of the new Maritime Knowledge Hub with Liverpool John Moores University in Birkenhead which aims to galvanize the opportunities in the maritime industry for businesses across the North West. This new partnership will extend those exciting opportunities to the Isle of Man with a busy program of events, seminars and networking plus a range of facilities to help maritime businesses grow. We have so much in common with the Isle of Man’s maritime sector, with long and historic trading ties between us. This partnership will build on those close ties and develop new opportunities for bi-lateral trade with groups like the Isle of Man Superyacht Forum. We particularly want to encourage trade between small to medium sized businesses which are the engine room of both our maritime economies. If any business wants to know more, we urge you to join Mersey Maritime and benefit from these new initiatives.”
IOMSA chairman Lars T Ugland, who announced the partnership, said: “The Isle of Man Shipping Association (IOMSA) represents a wide range of shipping related businesses but it is essential that we reach out towards a bigger market beyond the Isle of Man. I am excited about the collaboration with Mersey Maritime and have no doubt that it will bring considerable benefits to both organizations.
IOMSA representatives visited Liverpool during the International Festival of Business 2016 last week to host a series of meetings on board the tall ship the Kathleen & May. The meetings were held to promote the Isle of Man as an international Maritime Center of Excellence and showcase the wide range of maritime related services that IOMSA members have to offer.
Members of IOMSA include: Baker Tilley Isle of Man, Bernhard Schulte Ship Management Isle of Man, Bibby Ship Management Isle of Man, BP Maritime Services Isle of Man, Cayman National Bank Isle of Man, Ernst & Young, KPMG LCC, LT Ugland, Maersk Global Payroll, Shell Ship Management and V Ships Isle of Man.