Marine

With more than 300 miles of Atlantic coastline, Cornwall is the natural home of an exceptional marine sector. Drawing great strength from its maritime history, the county continues to build the sector by supporting firms at the leading edge of technological development in areas such as:

• Boat engineering and design
• Shipbuilding and maintenance
• Cable-laying
• Undersea exploration
• Offshore wind-farm development
• Marine renewable development

The technical skills and innovation of the marine sector have also proved invaluable in a range of other industries. For example, the engineering expertise of yacht builders Pendennis was invaluable in realising the architectural vision of a streamlined aluminum and glass construction for the NatWest Media Centre at Lords Cricket Ground in London.

As well as some of the UK's most successful yacht-builders, Cornwall is home to AP Valves of Helston. AP Valves makes diving gear favoured by many of the world's top professional divers, including the revolutionary Buddy Inspiration system, which enables longer, deeper dives than conventional scuba equipment.

Falmouth and Truro

Reputed as the third deepest natural harbour in the world, Falmouth is a natural centre for the marine sector. Today it not only offers commercial cargo handling and secure laying-up facilities for idle tonnage, but it retains its reputation for excellence in ship repair with three large graving docks and five wet berths. This provides a range of opportunities for companies in the repair sector, of which A&P Falmouth remains the largest. The town is also a major fishing and cruise ship port.

Truro, further up-river, is a thriving commercial port with excellent road, rail, and air connections, making it a popular hub for bulk and pallet cargo. Both these ports, and the many smaller ones, are run by professional and experienced harbour authorities who continue to invest in developing facilities.

This diverse and dynamic sector is estimated to be worth more than £400m a year. With increasing demand for undersea exploration, cable-laying and of course the development of marine renewables – all of which Cornwall already has a lead in – that figure seems certain to rise.

For more information on renewable marine energy, please see our page on Wave and Marine Renewable Energy.

Marine Networks & Skills

The Cornwall Marine Network. Their key aims designed to support growth and improve profitability include: marketing initiatives which help marine businesses generate more enquiries and orders; training initiatives which sustain and improve the sector's skills base; networking initiatives which encourage the exchange of best practice between CMN members and other organisations

Falmouth Marine School specialising in Boatbuilding, Leisure & Watersports, Marine Engineering and Marine Science, the school is dedicated to delivering excellent marine related courses matching the employment needs in the industry.

Peninsula Research Institute for Marine Renewable Energy (PRIMaRE) aims to accelerate growth in the Marine Renewable Energy industry, helping the South West UK to become a region of international significance by offering renewables testing, wave energy device arrays, marine renewable energy components and much more.

Marine Skills KTP Combined Universities in Cornwall has launched a Knowledge Transfer Partnership with A&P Falmouth to determine how the companies experience and capabilities in marine engineering can support the production, installation, and maintenance of marine renewal energy devices.

Marine Innovation Service is an initiative of Cornwall College and provides free specialist mentoring and support to businesses in the marine sector.

Marine Skills Centre Falmouth offers world class training, conference and workshop facilities to the marine industry. With its close links with industry leaders and training providers, the centre aims to improve the marine skill base in Cornwall, through demand led courses.