Eleven regional maritime cluster organisations across the United Kingdom have formally come together to establish the UK Maritime Regions Network (UKMRN) – a new, coordinated forum designed to amplify regional maritime intelligence and strengthen collaboration across the UK’s coastal communities. Mersey Maritime is delighted to be part of this new organisation.
The UKMRN brings together regional maritime clusters from Cornwall, Humber, Isle of Man, Mersey, Northern Ireland, North Yorkshire, Scotland, the Short Straits, Solent, the South West, and Tees. Each cluster represents the full spectrum of maritime activity within its geography, working daily with industry, academia, local government, skills providers, and adjacent sectors such as energy, logistics, aerospace, and advanced manufacturing.
By forming the UKMRN, the clusters will be able to aggregate regional insight, compare challenges, share learning, and coordinate activity where it adds value. The network provides a simple mechanism for bringing together work already undertaken within each region, offering a coherent route to grounded, place‑based maritime intelligence from across the UK.
A collaborative national forum
The UKMRN will complement existing national maritime organisations by providing an efficient way to connect with all eleven regional clusters simultaneously and to access an aggregated perspective on issues common to coastal regions across the UK.
Region‑specific engagement will continue to be led by individual cluster organisations, ensuring that local strengths, needs, and priorities remain at the forefront.
Four priorities for the first year
- Engagement with Government and national maritime bodies, providing a structured route to regional maritime insight.
- Aggregating network data to evidence collective reach across industry, academia, and coastal communities.
- Showcasing regional economic impact data to demonstrate the contribution of maritime activity to productivity, employment, and innovation.
- Delivering a national “This is my maritime” careers campaign, featuring young people from across the UK in diverse maritime roles.
Commenting on the launch and Mersey Maritime’s participation in it, Ruth Wood, CEO, said:
“For many years Mersey Maritime has been committed to supporting regional collaboration through powerful and dynamic maritime cluster organisations. That’s why we led the national programme (2019-23) to disseminate our own best practice as one of the longest established bodies set up to represent the interests of the maritime sector in a specific regional context. This new group is a natural extension of that work and a means to ensure ongoing engagement around the coast of the UK.
The UK’s coastal regions are home to extraordinary maritime strengths, innovation assets, and communities whose contribution is vital to the national economy. By bringing together the eleven regional maritime clusters, the UK Maritime Regions Network provides a simple and effective way to share insight, compare challenges, and highlight opportunities emerging across the country.
Mersey Maritime looks forward to working collaboratively with national bodies, Government, and industry partners wherever regional perspectives can add value. This is about ensuring that the voices, strengths, and realities of the UK’s coastal economies are visible, coherent, and easy to access.”
