Northern Ireland Maritime and Offshore, supported by Belfast Harbour, has joined the Port Innovators Network, strengthening international collaboration on innovation and sustainability initiatives across the maritime sector. NIMO brings together organisations from industry, government and academia to develop sustainable solutions for Northern Ireland's maritime and offshore sectors.

Belfast Harbour is Northern Ireland's principal maritime gateway and a statutory trust port, handling around 70 percent of the region's seaborne trade and 25 percent of seaborne trade across the island of Ireland. The port supports an estimated £8.8 billion in gross value added to the regional economy.

The Port Innovators Network is a global association focused on accelerating innovation across the maritime sector, welcoming NIMO as its latest member.

The structural driver is Northern Ireland's push to convert its aerospace and offshore engineering base into exportable maritime innovation capability, positioning local SMEs alongside international port operators.

Dr Kerry Muldoon, executive director at NIMO, said, "NIMO members bring strength in areas like autonomous systems, offshore renewables, and innovative port technologies, as well as technology transfer from aerospace into the marine sector. Our innovative SMEs gain exposure beyond Northern Ireland, while other PIN members gain direct access to the capability and innovation we've built here."

Belfast Harbour is progressing a range of digital transformation initiatives as part of its 2025-2050 masterplan, which includes long-term investment in port infrastructure and technology.

Mike Dawson, people and digital transformation director at Belfast Harbour, said, "We've already invested in innovative solutions such as enhanced connectivity and live monitoring solutions to improve situational awareness and operational response; automated environmental and fuel monitoring to improve safety and compliance; and digitalised documentation to reduce administration time. The Port Innovators Network offers the opportunity for us to expand our connections around the world."

David Thomas, executive director at The PIER, a founding member of PIN, said, "As a founding member of the Port Innovators Network, The PIER welcomes NIMO and Belfast Harbour to the ecosystem. Building on connections formed through the Invest NI delegation 'Atlantic Exchange' event we hosted in Halifax in 2025, we look forward to contributing to trialling new solutions across our growing global network."

For the sector, the membership reflects growing appetite among regional ports and maritime clusters to plug into global innovation networks rather than develop technology in isolation.

Source: Operations Engineer