Marine Industries Leadership Council News

The Society of Maritime Industries is the voice of the U.K. maritime engineering sector, and its Chief Executive John Murray is the very public and indelible face of the organization. SMI promotes and supports the interests of organizations with activities and interests in this sector both to its membership and the wider world. In total it is a trade association of more than 150 organizations across the maritime, offshore energy, subsea, naval and academic sectors, and the society has been busier than ever, as a number of drivers have buoyed the prospects of all matters maritime in the U.K.

The 2013 ICOMIA/IFBSO Congress was held in London, United Kingdom from June 11-14,  2013 and was hosted and organized by the British Marine Federation (BMF) at Devonport House, located in London’s exclusive Royal Greenwich, a World Heritage Site. The first two days of Congress consisted of various committee meetings including the first gathering of ICOMIA’s new committees: "Grow Boating," which examines current campaigns dedicated to growing recreational boating globally and the "Exporters Committee," which provides members a forum to share knowledge on export markets, discuss import regulations and exchange information on overseas boat/trade show experiences.

The UK’s marine industries contribute £3.7 billion to the UK economy each year, according to figures released by the Marine Industries Leadership Council. Comprising well over 5,000 companies, the marine industries employ around 120,000 people across the UK and have a combined turnover of £10 billion. With more than 20 per cent growth in shipbuilding and marine leisure between 2006 and 2008, future growth in the marine industries is expected to amount to billions of pounds for the UK through expanding international markets and marine renewable energy. "These figures highlight the importance of the marine industry to the UK economy and to the skills and jobs market.