Industry and Government continue to work together as Mark Garnier MP visits London Boat Show

[L-R: At the London Boat Show today – Howard Pridding, Chief Executive Officer at British Marine; Peter Earp, Owner of English Braids/Marlow Ropes; Mark Garnier MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for International Trade; Richard Edge, Sales Director for Marlow Ropes; David Pougher, President of British Marine]

This visit follows a recent meeting that British Marine and its members held recently with the Department for International Trade to discuss what support government can give the industry. Representatives from 10 member companies met with the Minister in Westminster to discuss the development of future overseas markets, priorities for the sector and how to maintain high skill levels in the marine industry to ensure its continuing growth.

During his visit to the Show, Minister Garnier, MP for Wyre Forest, met with British Marine members Seaglaze, Marlow Ropes and English Braids, Williams Jet Tenders and Princess Yachts. The Minister also took time to speak with students taking part in the Superyacht UK Young Designers Competition before heading on to meet with several delegates that took part in the British Marine ‘Meet the Buyer’ programme.  Meet the Buyer, in association with IBI and UK Trade & Investment (UKTI), held at the London Boat Show from 12-13 January, is an annual event offering UK suppliers of marine products and services a chance to network with a range of buyers, from overseas boatbuilders to distributors, who are flown in from across the globe.

International Trade Minister Mark Garnier said: “The London Boat Show is an iconic event that provides a vital platform to showcase the very best of British marine engineering and manufacturing.

“Our UK marine industry is world-class, with the superyacht and leisure marine sector alone generating over £895 million each year, almost a third of total UK marine export revenue. The Department for International Trade will continue to work with British Marine to support this sector by helping new and existing exporters to realise their international potential.

Howard Pridding, Chief Executive Officer said: “We were delighted to continue our working relationship with Mark Garnier MP by welcoming him here to the Show. Member companies have taken the chance to further the Minister’s understanding of the strength of this £3.01bn industry, which has just announced a fifth consecutive year of growth.

“Our industry has a strong export record and I welcomed the opportunity to brief the Minister at a time when the Government is developing an industrial strategy and to further discuss how we can work collaboratively with Government to continue this export success.”

About British Marine

British Marine (the trading name of British Marine Federation Limited) is a membership organisation leading the UK leisure, superyacht and small commercial marine industry. It has over 1,600 members drawn from both seagoing and inland sectors and represents an industry employing more than 31,500 people in the UK. For more information about the work of British Marine and how to join, please visit the website: www.britishmarine.co.uk.