Lesley Robinson
Wins for Spirit and Princess at IBI-METSTRADE Boat Builder Awards 2019
British Marine members, Spirit Yachts and Princess Yachts, had a fantastic night at the IBI-METSTRADE Boat Builder Awards 2019, which took place on Tuesday (19 November) at the National Maritime Museum in Amsterdam.
Spirit Yachts’ innovative manufacturing process and yacht designs saw it awarded the best ‘Environmental Initiative’ of 2019. Having just launched its largest ever sailing yacht, the electric drive, 34m Spirit 111, Spirit looks to set a new standard in eco yachts.
As explained by Nigel Stuart, Managing Director at Spirit Yachts, he commented: “The award is fantastic recognition for the team’s dedication to continually improving Spirit Yachts’ environmental footprint. We work incredibly hard to innovate in-house, collaborate with suppliers and invest in research to reduce the eco-impact of our yachts in build, on the water and at the end of life. In order to meet global environmental targets, the industry must work together and share insight to create a sustainable future.”
Princess Yachts’ apprenticeship scheme and leadership pathways received the Best Apprenticeship and Trainee Scheme award. This follows Princess’ announcement earlier this year that it is more than doubling the number of apprentices it welcomes to its ranks. Apprentices will receive what’s described as an immersive experience of all operations over their four-year traineeship, authentically replicating the assembly line, right down to the scheduled ‘buzzer’ break times.
Remarking at the time, Paul Turner, HR Director at Princess Yachts, said: “Princess Yachts has always believed in inspiring people to achieve their best, investing heavily in its yearly apprenticeship scheme. The doubling of the intake for 2019 is not only a commitment to shaping the workforce of tomorrow, but validation of Princess Yacht’s robustness after an outstanding two years of growth. We are proud of the fact that virtually all apprentices move into permanent employment with Princess following the conclusion of their four-year courses.”
Lesley Robinson, CEO at British Marine, commented on the night’s successes: “These richly deserved awards show how strong British boatbuilding is. We are proud of both Spirit Yachts and Princess Yachts and their teams who help ensure the UK remains at the forefront of tackling some of the biggest challenges facing our industry. In this case, both reducing our environmental impact and bridging the sector’s skills gap.”
This has been a great week for British Marine members at METSTRADE with an additional ten companies receiving accolades at the DAME Design Award 2019 during a ceremony on Tuesday morning.
British Marine is at the Show, hosting and organising the British Pavilion, and supporting the 155 British companies exhibiting across the event.
