Trade representative body Mersey Maritime has praised the power of partnership as an agreement was signed at its Birkenhead headquarters June 14 to develop a brand new maritime and offshore training facility in the UK’s North West
Investment for the new training facility was officially agreed this week, following months of discussions in which Mersey Maritime played a vital role.
The cluster organization for the maritime sector in the North West has been instrumental in initiating discussions and lining up potential partners from across the region’s public and private sectors to secure the business connections and support needed to bring Glasgow-based Stream Marine Training to Merseyside.
Stream Marine confirmed their commitment to establishing a major maritime and offshore training center in Wirral by signing an agreement with Wirral Council that will see them invest up to £1.5 million in new facilities at Tower Quays and a new fire training ground along Duke Street, Birkenhead. The investment could also have a significant broader economic impact, with the potential of up to 5,000 additional bed nights being booked in Wirral each year.
Using the Wirral Waters Investment Fund, Wirral Council has put together a compelling package of support as part of a strategy to strengthen the Maritime and low carbon sectors on the Wirral peninsula. The opening of the new facility within the Mersey Waters Enterprise Zone is set to create up to 25 new jobs.
The support Mersey Maritime has provided to Stream Marine Training has been facilitated through its business support program New Markets 2 (NM2). The cluster organization is one of 11 organizations in the Liverpool city region delivering support to fast-growth small and medium-sized businesses via the NM2 project, which is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), and is the first to successfully attract inward investment as a result of the support it has delivered to SMT.
The nearest offshore facility currently is in Lancashire and is heavily oversubscribed, so the catchment potential for Stream Marine Training is considerable. Chief executive Martin White is confident there is a real demand that can be served from the Liverpool area.