British marine companies today received a welcome boost with notable success at the annual DAME Awards as METS 08 opened in Amsterdam. The UK industry’s strong showing at the awards is supported by the British Marine Federation (BMF), which has organised the British pavilion at METS; boasting over 100 exhibiting companies.

A total of ten UK companies were recognised when the prestigious marine equipment awards were announced on the opening day of the Show:

Henri Lloyd fought off strong competition to take the top award in the clothing and crew accessories category for its Henri Lloyd TP2 Shadow 2G jacket.

The joint Chief Executive, Paul Strzelecki was delighted with the award, commenting: “The DAME’s are a much sought after award and our success demonstrates that Henri Lloyd remains at the forefront of innovation in a very competitive market sector.”

Blue Green Marine was recognised as the ‘most eco friendly product’ for its ultra sound hull protection system, whilst BMF member, Spinlock was declared to have the ‘most innovative product’ for its ZR 1014 Jamner.

Seven companies achieved ‘special mentions’ for their products including member companies, Tacktick and Musto, as well as Kayospruce Ltd, Southco Europe Ltd and Oval Stainless.

Rob Stevens, Chief Executive of the BMF said:

“It is excellent to see so many British companies doing well in this years DAME Awards. This reinforces the UK marine equipment industry’s strong reputation for innovation, good design and quality at a very important time for the industry worldwide. To receive such recognition at the world’s premier marine equipment show is a reminder of the ability of the UK marine industry to compete with the best that world markets have to offer.”