News & Views

Marlan Maritime wins O’Connors sponsored Merseyside Innovation Awards

A Liverpool company that has developed a system which helps ports and harbours, coastal surveillance and offshore asset protection to achieve safety, security and efficiency has won the prestigious Merseyside Innovation Award 2017.

Marlan Maritime Technologies was one of three finalists which pitched live to judges at the final, held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Liverpool. The company received a cheque for £10,000 which was presented at the awards ceremony by Liverpool City Region Mayor, Steve Rotheram.

Liverpool-based Marlan Maritime Technologies records weather conditions, tidal movements and vessel traffic in coastal areas, including the city’s Queens Dock, to create bespoke solutions for efficient offshore monitoring, which can be used by shipping businesses, engineers and scientists.

“I’d like to congratulate Marlan Maritime and all the nominated companies this evening,” said Rotheram. “Merseyside is home to some amazing businesses. We need to be at the heart of innovation to create an eco-system for businesses to thrive. Great ideas reinforce the entrepreneurial spirit in Liverpool.”

The three finalists were selected from a shortlist of five applicants derived from more than 40 submissions received. Gas Tag, a pioneering gas safety-monitoring device, and vTime, a virtual reality social network were the two runners-up and each received £1,000, together with up to £200 worth of specialist business advice from the award sponsors including accountancy, legal and business consultancy advice.

Each finalist presented their innovation to a panel of prominent Merseyside business leaders, including Village Software’s Sue Roberts, MSIF’s chief executive Lisa Greenhalgh and BBC Radio Merseyside’s Roger Phillips.

Gas Tag’s pioneering technology monitors gas maintenance work on commercial and residential properties in real time, which creates secure and transparent records that can be stored and accessed via the cloud.

Innovative social media app, vTime, is the world’s first social platform in virtual reality, which allows users to socialise with friends, family and colleagues in multiple virtual locations, all in real time.

The award sits alongside the ‘Prestige’ award, introduced to celebrate the Merseyside Innovation Awards which was won by EMS Healthcare.

The Merseyside Innovation Awards are driven by a group of sponsor organisations made up of Mitchell Charlesworth, Unilever, Trustech, Dewinter, Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise Partnership, NatWest, Insider Media, the University of Liverpool, Village Software, WP Thompson, O’Connors and BBC Radio Merseyside.