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Shipping Minister opens new UK Maritime Knowledge Hub in Liverpool

Shipping Minister opens new UK Maritime Knowledge Hub in Liverpool
UK Shipping Minister Robert Goodwill MP has formally opened a new ‘Maritime Knowledge Hub’ in Wirral, UK, jointly operated by Mersey Maritime and Liverpool John Moores University.

First announced at London International Shipping Week (LISW) last year, the aim of the £15m ($21m) Maritime Knowledge Hub is to create a regional focal point for innovation, research & development, education and training and business support, enabling the UK to capture a greater share in the estimated £3000bn shipping market.

The Hub will ultimately include serviced business start-up space and support, an offshore survival centre and marine simulation centre, and design and testing facility.

“I am delighted to have opened the first phase of this new state-of-the-art hub which will help create skilled maritime jobs on Merseyside,” said Goodwill. “This partnership between private, public and academic organisations is key to ensuring that our next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs are ready to succeed.

“Merseyside has a rich maritime history and the future is looking bright thanks to major projects such as the Maritime Knowledge Hub and the deep water container terminal Liverpool2 at the Port of Liverpool. The Government will continue to offer its full support to the maritime industry, a sector which is vitally important to the UK economy.”

“We already have a strong base of industries clustered around the port but more needs to be done and our approach is influenced by successful models in countries such as Norway and Singapore,” said Chris Shirling-Rooke, chief executive of Mersey Maritime.

Executive dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Technology at Liverpool John Moore’s University, Professor Ahmed Al-Shamma’a, added: “The scale of the opportunity for our region is massive but we do have a skills gap. It’s essential to develop the talent that local firms and wider industry need to grow and compete, and the Knowledge Hub will help deliver that.”