The Liverpool City Region was firmly in the spotlight at London International Shipping Week 2025 (LISW25), with its role as a UK centre of maritime excellence highlighted throughout the week.
At the start of the week, the Liverpool City Region hosted the first ever LISW25 session outside the capital. Mersey Maritime CEO, Ruth Wood, took part in the Ministerial Roundtable with the new Maritime Minister, Keir Mather MP, which focused on the sector’s role in delivering national and regional investment to drive economic growth. The roundtable featured contributions from key industry stakeholders, including Mersey Maritime members including ACL, APCL, Bibby Marine, CMA CGM, Global Ports Holdings, Liverpool John Moores University, Natpower Marine, Maersk, Peel Ports Group, Royal Navy, University of Liverpool, Stanlow Terminals and Stena Line.
The roundtable offered the opportunity for a key government announcement around a major expansion in funding to support the industry on its journey towards net zero. More than £1.1 billion of investment to boost growth, jobs and skills in UK’s coastal towns and cities was announced, including a major expansion of the UK SHORE decarbonisation programme with £448 million of public investment to reduce emissions from UK shipping.
The Mersey Maritime team then participated in a variety of sessions and events across LISW, engaging with members, national policymakers, and regional partners. Conversations throughout the week emphasised the importance of collaboration between industry, academia, and government.
A central feature of the week was the bi-annual ‘Mersey on the Thames’ showcase, hosted at Prince Philip House, headquarters of the Royal Academy of Engineering. The Liverpool City Region focused event brought together senior industry leaders and partners to explore how the maritime sector can stimulate regional growth, accelerate innovation, advance decarbonisation, and support high-quality jobs and skills development.
The event was proudly supported by sponsors APCL Cammell Laird, Bibby Marine, Liverpool John Moores University, and Peel Ports Group, who also contributed to the panel discussion. Dr Aileen Jones, Pro Vice Chancellor External Engagement & Partnerships at LJMU, presented the headline findings from the latest economic impact study, underlining the maritime sector’s significant contribution to the regional economy.
Reflecting on the week, Ruth Wood, CEO of Mersey Maritime, said:
“LISW25 gave us the opportunity to highlight the North West’s role in driving innovation, skills and sustainability across the maritime sector. It was encouraging to see such strong collaboration between industry, academia and government, and to ensure our region’s voice is heard as part of the national maritime conversation.
“We were particularly pleased to have the opportunity to provide an update on the work of our Navigating Maritime Innovation in the Liverpool City Region project which has been a major focus for us during 2025. This project, which seeks to showcase key maritime investment opportunities around innovation, has already identified a pipeline of over £600 million worth of projects either underway or planned in the region. LISW 2025 gave us a chance to really showcase some of the incredible investments and activity already underway to drive forward our powerhouse coastal community in the years ahead.
“As a cluster organisation, Mersey Maritime exists to bring people together and champion the sector’s strengths, and this week demonstrated the real impact of working collectively.”
Phil Waterhouse, Group Corporate Affairs Director, APCL Cammell Laird, commented:
“Being part of LISW25 gave us the chance to demonstrate how the Liverpool City Region’s maritime sector is combining heritage and innovation to deliver real impact. As one of the UK’s most historic and diverse shipyards, APCL Cammell Laird is proud to be at the heart of this ecosystem – from building and maintaining vessels that keep our economy moving, to investing in apprenticeships and skills that will serve the industry for generations to come.
“The week reinforced the importance of working together across industry, academia and government, and we are determined to ensure that the North West continues to be recognised nationally and internationally as a centre of maritime excellence.”
Nigel Quinn, CEO of Bibby Marine, said:
“London International Shipping Week was a powerful reminder of the momentum building across the UK maritime sector. It was encouraging to see the North West firmly on the national stage, with real recognition of the innovation already underway in our region. But we must be bold – electrifying offshore operations demands parallel investment in clean energy infrastructure. Without it, we risk building vessels that won’t deliver their designed full potential, which is a real missed opportunity in both a commercial and environmental sense.
“The scale-up of offshore wind in the Irish Sea is not just a national priority – it’s a once-in-a-generation opportunity for Liverpool and the North West to become a powerhouse in sustainable maritime operations. It would be remiss of the region not to fill its boots. At Bibby Marine, we’re proud to be part of this journey – from pioneering the world’s first zero-emission CSOV to championing local jobs and Gross Value Add for the UK.”
Dr Aileen Jones, Pro Vice Chancellor External Engagement & Partnerships at Liverpool John Moores University, commented:
“It was a pleasure to take part in Mersey Maritime’s International Shipping Week events and highlight the positive impact the maritime sector has on the Liverpool City Region and beyond.
“A recent independent impact study commissioned by Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) research indicates the maritime sector directly contributes a total Gross Value Added of £3.89bn to the Liverpool City Region (up from £1.7bn in 2023) with 48,000 workers directly employed in the LCR maritime sector (up from 46,000 in 2023). At LJMU, we see first-hand the positive impact it can have on economic growth, innovation and decarbonisation, and in the creation of high-quality jobs and the development of skills.
“In the past year, we launched our Global Centre for Maritime Innovation and we look forward to continued collaboration with Mersey Maritime, external partners and the wider industry to deliver impactful research, education and training.”
Phil Hall, Mersey Port Director, Peel Ports Group said:
“LISW has been an important week to showcase the strength of the Liverpool City Region and the vital role Peel Ports Group plays in enabling UK trade. As a Group, we have invested £1.5bn in the last decade and plan to commit a further £1bn over the next five years, helping to create jobs, attract investment and support the transition to a greener economy. Events like this highlight how collaboration between ports, industry and government can unlock even greater opportunities for regional and national growth.”
