A new industry-led partnership has been formed to strengthen the River Clyde’s maritime economy, bringing together the region’s largest shipbuilders, engineering firms and ports alongside skills and public-sector partners.
The Clyde Maritime Alliance (CMA), launched on 11 September 2026, has been created to unlock the full economic potential of the Clyde’s maritime sector, promote business growth and workforce resilience, and position the river as a leading maritime cluster for investment and innovation in Scotland and the UK.
Founding members are BAE Systems, Babcock International Group, Dales Marine Services, Ferguson Marine (Port Glasgow), JFD Limited (part of James Fisher & Sons), Malin Group and Peel Ports Clydeport. They are working alongside regional partners Glasgow City Region, Skills Development Scotland and Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, with Scottish Enterprise and the UK Government providing seed funding. The founding organisations have set out their shared ambition through a Memorandum of Understanding.
Over £1.3 million of Scottish Government investment has been provided to fast track the Alliance and support engineering and maritime skills programmes across the Glasgow City Region. Scottish Enterprise has contributed £30,000 to establish the Alliance itself.
The CMA’s initial priorities include skills and workforce development, inward investment promotion, collaborative funding bids, and advancing major strategic projects — including the Scottish Maritime Technology Park and Inchgreen — with the aim of bringing together industry, skills and public-sector partners to unlock investment and secure further funding.
The Alliance builds on the Clyde Maritime Skills Programme, a £2 million Scottish Government Economic Intervention project delivered by maritime employers alongside Skills Development Scotland, Glasgow City Region, local authorities and colleges. That programme grew from a Clyde Maritime Skills Study carried out with RAND Group, drawing on the workforce evidence base of five employers: Babcock Marine, BAE Systems, Dales Marine Services, Ferguson Marine and Malin Group.
“This is an important step forward in how we enable industry on the River Clyde to deliver economic benefit to the region,” said Stuart Patrick, Chair of the Clyde Maritime Alliance. “Forming the Clyde Maritime Alliance is a clear signal of intent: that we are ready to work together to deliver growth and opportunity for the Clyde and the businesses, people and communities who depend on it.
“The River Clyde has a proud maritime heritage, and the businesses within this Alliance are the custodians of that legacy today, building, maintaining and supporting vessels that matter to Scotland and the UK. But this is about more than protecting what we have. It’s about looking forward: securing the skills pipeline that will allow the Clyde to win and deliver the next generation of work, invest in innovation, and ensure maritime engineering continues to thrive here for decades to come. This Alliance gives us a single, collective voice to do that, for our businesses, and for the economic future of the whole region.”
“The Clyde Maritime Alliance is a strong example of what can be achieved when industry, public sector partners and skills organisations come together around a shared ambition,” said Kevin Rush, Executive Director of Economic Growth for Glasgow City Region. “We are proud to support the Alliance and its vision for the future, creating opportunities for local people and businesses while strengthening the Clyde’s position as a leading maritime cluster.”
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