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Marine and Renewables
With a strong industry base and research facilities and a broad range of capabilities and infrastructure covering marine operations and engineering, marine and environmental sciences, advanced manufacturing, composites, aerospace and defence, Plymouth provides the ideal location and supply chain opportunities for growth in this sector.
The city is a global centre of excellence for marine science and technology with one of the largest clusters of expertise in Europe. The building of ships and floating structures and the building of pleasure and sporting boats in Plymouth boast location quotients (LQ) of 40.5 and 42.0 respectively - around 40 times the national average.
National Marine Park
We’re officially starting work on developing plans for Plymouth to be the UK’s first National Marine Park.
We have been working closely with a range of local and national partners including the University of Plymouth, National Marine Aquarium and Blue Marine Foundation to get to this stage.
Our next steps will be to officially lead on the project to designate Plymouth as a National Marine Park, engaging with our local stakeholders, work with Government departments to get national recognition and continue to seek external funding for the project.
Find out more on the plymouth.gov.uk website
Plymouth's Marine Protected Area
Being gifted with the natural landscape of Plymouth Sound and Tamar Estuaries, the area provides iconic views, a diverse abundance of marine life and it is proud of its naval and cultural heritage. Plymouth as a long history of maritime exploration and research that is intimately tied to the sea. The area has been designated as the Plymouth Sound & Tamar Estuaries Marine Protected Area (MPA) and is globally recognised and uniquely positioned to balance commercial interests, defence, travel, recreation and conservation. It is an area of international marine importance and we all play a part in preserving it.
We have an opportunity to conserve and engage with this precious place and to enable us and future generations to enjoy, work and live in partnership with it.
Find out more on the Plymouth MPA website.
Maritime UK South West
The South Coast Marine Cluster is a partnership of industry, academic and public sector, set up to champion and grow the South Coast industry as the premier destination for investment, innovation and growth.
On 31st Jan 2020 the cluster will relaunch as Maritime UK SW, forming an affiliation with Maritime UK and a partnership with Cornwall Marine Network. Cluster websites and print collateral will be updated with our new sponsor and strategic partner logos by March.
The objectives of the cluster are to enable:
- Innovation and collaboration
- Promotion of shared excellence, trade and inward investment
- Voice to government and policy-makers.
Internationally recognised as Britain’s Ocean City, Plymouth is well known for its marine science, technology and manufacturing capabilities.
View the Marine sector factsheet
Plymouth Sound is one of the oldest continually studied marine areas on earth and is globally recognised for the strength of its marine science and technology
Marine Business Technology Centre
The Marine Business Technology Centre (MBTC) is the gateway for accessing comprehensive research and development support as well as cutting-edge facilities and expertise.
Providing services up to the bleeding edge of advanced marine technology development, the MBTC is supporting Devon-based SMEs through research, testing, proving and production. The services on offer through MBTC are fully funded by ERDF.
Based in Endeavour House at the Oceansgate Marine Enterprise Zone in Devonport, the MBTC gives client access to the Plymouth Smart Sound proving zone, funding programmes, research and development support and links to other commercial collaborative partners to aid the production of cutting edge marine solutions.
Providing access to a unique combination of:
- State-of-the-art offshore and onshore facilities
- Some of the world's foremost marine science and technology organizations
- Nearly a 1,000 sq. kilometres of authorised, de-conflicted water space
- Funded support for eligible businesses
The area’s impressive variety of water depth, sea states and weather conditions is perfectly suited for conducting sea trials, including sub-surface trials with access to offshore water depths of 75m, providing the ideal environment for multiplatform mission operations.
Co-ordinated through the Marine Business Technology Centre, Smart Sound Plymouth is a partnership between five organizations boasting considerable expertise in autonomous systems, environmental sensor technologies, alternative propulsion, advanced manufacturing and cybersecurity.
Oceansgate is the UK’s premier waterfront marine development opportunity. It aims to bring together marine-based businesses to create a world-class hub for marine industries, with opportunities for research, innovation and production in a collaborative environment.
Split into three phases the development occupies a 35 hectare site on the southern edge of Devonport Dockyard, one of the largest naval dockyards in Europe. Phases one and two offer prime office and industrial space while phase three grants the site access to deep water.
The University of Plymouth is world-renowned for its research, teaching and training across the marine sciences. Indeed, in 2012 it was awarded the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education in respect of its legacy dating back 150 years to the School of Navigation. Today, there are around 2,600 students enrolled across a variety of marine-related programmes in the School of Biological and Marine Sciences, and the School of Engineering. They are taught and supported by hundreds of academics, among them, some of the most respected researchers in Europe in areas such as marine biology, oceanography, coastal processes, climate change, and marine engineering and marine renewable energy.
The University has a range of facilities that are unmatched by almost any other university in the country, including a waterfront Marine Station, at Coxside, which is home to a scientific diving centre, aquaria, wet labs and the University’s fleet of boats. Among them is a dedicated oceanographic research vessel, Falcon Spirit, which has capacity for 14 crew members, and can work up to 60 miles from port. The University has significant underwater exploration capacity through its state-of-the-art Remotely Operated Vehicles which can explore, film in HD, and conduct operations at depths in excess of 500m. The Marine Building, located on campus, houses state-of-the-art research facilities positioning Plymouth as a global centre for marine energy research. These include one of the most advanced wave tank and testing facilities in the country including a hydrodynamic test laboratory with tidal and wave test basins, ship simulator and Electronic Chart Display and Information Systems labs. It also offers dedicated technical support and office facilities for up to 150 marine institute researchers and technology developers.
The Marine Institute is made up of 3,000 staff, researchers and students, the University of Plymouth’s Marine Institute is the first and largest such institute in the UK. It provides the gateway to the University’s state-of-the-art facilities and extensive pool of world-leading experts, who are working to understand the relationship between the way we live, the seas that surround us and the development of sustainable policy solutions. The staff represented by the Marine Institute are housed within all five of the University’s faculties (Science and Engineering; Arts and Humanities; Business; Health and Human Sciences; and Medicine and Dentistry) and form the broadest portfolio of marine expertise within a single institute in Europe.
Peninsula Research Institute for Marine Renewable Energy (PRIMaRE)
University of Exeter and Plymouth University are the founding members of PRIMaRE. It is a centre of excellence delivering world-class research and technology transfer in marine energy, accelerating growth in the marine renewable energy industry and in support of Wave Hub. It is helping the South West to become a region of international significance by offering renewables testing, wave energy device arrays, marine renewable energy components and much more.
PML is an independent and impartial marine research laboratory, and registered charity, with a track record of over 40 years of innovative and globally recognised science on the interactions between the marine environment and society. With 10% of its scientists in the top 1% of environmental scientists worldwide, PML is at the forefront of observing, understanding, modelling and forecasting marine ecosystems to underpin evidence-based solutions to societal challenges. In addition to cutting-edge research, PML contributes to policy development, public understanding of science, capacity building in developing nations, as well as the application of science.
PML was listed 8th in the world in the latest Thomson Reuters top 30 Research Institutions in Oceanography and has partnerships worldwide in more than 60 countries and with over 500 organizations. PML was announced as top UK institute (6th globally) in the 2014 International Center for Climate Governance Climate Think Tank Ranking. In 2014 PML won the Environment and Conservation category of the Charity Awards for the "global strategic impact" of its Europe-Africa Marine Earth Observation Network project.
Its £20 million pound research facility on the Hoe is home to state-of-the-art facilities including the world’s most powerful atomic force microscope that allows scientists to see individual strands of DNA; and PML’s Flow Cytometer Facility that can measure and count micro-organisms such as bacteria, algae and viruses. With a global Earth Observation processing capability PML plays a key role in supporting science communities throughout the world with data processing and analysis, whilst its modelling group provides indispensable tools to deliver industry and policy relevant projections and predictions, from global to local. PML is internationally recognised for being at the forefront of socio-economic marine environmental research.
PML Applications Ltd is the gateway to accessing the latest marine research and technology for commercial use, providing outstanding marine consultation and services to a global client base. It is home to three Centres of Expertise working with industry such as shipping, marine renewable energy, oil and gas, shipping, aquaculture, ballast water and classification.
The Ballast Water Centre and the Centre for Marine Biofouling and Corrosion focus on biofouling management, the development and testing of antifouling technologies, development of innovative new ballast water treatment systems, and testing ballast water systems for efficacy, regulatory type approval and compliance with international and US regulations.
Communicating geospatial data effectively is what its third Centre of Expertise specialises in and through its interactive data visualisation tool is already proving very effective with industry clients, as well as with several EU funded projects. Services include ocean colour, water quality, aquaculture and fisheries management, ship, oil spill and internal wave detection, data management and visualisation such as for marine planning and protection, and airborne data processing.
PML Applications Ltd was set up in 2002 and is a wholly owned trading subsidiary of Plymouth Marine Laboratory
The Marine Biological Association (MBA)
The MBA is the longest established marine laboratory in the UK. Since its foundation in 1884, the MBA at Plymouth has had a rich history and has seen many highly significant scientific discoveries at its Citadel Hill laboratory. Today, MBA scientists deliver an internationally-renowned programme of scientific research that is highlighted on these pages. Resident workers and visitors alike enjoy the high-quality facilities and services that we can provide. the MBA conducts, promotes and supports scientific research into all aspects of life in the sea.
The MBA have hosted 7 Nobel Prize winners
Sir Alister Hardy Foundation for Ocean Science (SAHFOS)
Most geographically extensive and longest running marine biological survey in the world: the Continuous Plankton Recorder Survey.
SAHFOS research advises Governments and Corporations on global issues including pollution, climate change, biodiversity and over-fishing.
Plymouth's Marine Academy is the first of its kind in the UK. It opened in 2010 for 11-18 year olds and specialises in the marine environment, encompassing science and engineering, and focuses on employment pathways which are integral to a marine environment
City College Plymouth educates over 3,500 full-time and 9,000 part-time students. It provides apprenticeships to foundation degrees in Engineering related subjects, including Marine Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Renewable Energy & Engineering. The new £13m STEM Centre opened in Summer 2017, a vital facility for helping Plymouth employers meet their need for highly skilled technicians and apprentices.
Plymouth's fishing industry brings over £12m in GVA to Plymouth each year, and accounts for around 15% of the entire English fishing fleet by jobs-supported.
Plymouth Fish market is the largest fresh fish market in England, by landed weight. (Source: Annual Sea Fisheries Statistics 2015)
Download the Plan for Sustainable Fishing
Marine Leisure
Princess Yachts International, one of the leading motor yacht manufacturers in Europe, builds M Class yachts in Plymouth.
Plymouth boasts the second highest number of Gold Anchor marinas in the UK
Plymouth is home to the largest Naval Base in Western Europe. Devonport Dockyard directly employs around 10,190 workers, made up of roughly 4,476 military and 5,714 civilians.
The activities undertaken at the Naval Base and Dockyard generate £637m in GVA and provide critical competence in the deep maintenance of nuclear reactors, submarines and naval vessels.
Of equal importance is the valuable contribution to national defence made by the vessels docked at Devonport.
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