Members of the Irish Marine Federation (IMF), in collaboration with British Marine, have successfully completed the first British Marine Electrical Training (BMET) course held in Ireland.

As part of the IMF’s ongoing commitment to upskilling and supporting its members—announced at the Marine Trade event in February—this professional training course took place on July 1st and 2nd at the INSS building in Dún Laoghaire Harbour.

The course was attended by nine engineers from six IMF member companies.

The certified course is based on the British Marine Electrical and Electronics Association (BMEEA) Code of Practice, widely regarded as the industry benchmark for safe and compliant marine electrical installations. It aligns with UK marine electrical systems and incorporates best practices from the BMEEA Code of Practice, ISO standards, and the Recreational Craft Regulations (RCR).

This expert-led, hands-on training was tailored for marine technicians, boatbuilders, electricians, and engineers seeking in-depth knowledge of compliant installations, diagnostics, and maintenance in the marine environment.

IMF Training Coordinator Crónán O’Donnell said:

“The partnership with British Marine reflects our commitment to raising professional standards across Ireland’s marine sector through IMF membership. The BMET course equips marine professionals with the most up-to-date knowledge to work confidently and safely with marine electrical systems in line with the highest standards.”

British Marine, Head of Training, Manj Mahey said:

“We are delighted to be partnering with the Irish Marine Federation in delivering our training programmes.  It’s encouraging to see the initial appetite and enthusiasm for professional training come to fruition and I look forward to working with the IMF and its members on delivering the next course “

IMF Chairman Gerry Salmon added:

“I am delighted to see that nine of our own engineers in Ireland have received professional certification and recognition of their skills, having successfully completed this training course.
We need to continue offering professional training to acknowledge the expertise we already have here in Ireland and to attract young people into our industry.
Well done to Crónán O’Donnell, who has championed this initiative since our first meetings with British Marine in September 2024.”

The Irish Marine Federation joined industry colleagues and associations from across Europe at the annual EBI General Assembly held in Hamburg, Germany. The main focus of the General Assembly is to ratify new members to the association and agree Council elections to continue representation of the EBI.

As well as a worthwhile networking event, there was also a valuable workshop entitled ‘Understanding the economic position and developing opportunities in a changing trade landscape’. Contributors included Philip Easthill (EBI), Holger Flindt (Pantaenius Insurance) and Petros Michelidakis (boot Düsseldorf).

The IMF is a full member of the EBI and regularly supports their work while also feeding back information and topics relevant to the Irish recreational boating industry and nautical tourism sector.

The Irish Marine Federation were pleased to attend the recent European Maritime Day 2025 and were invited to take part in a workshop discussion organised by the European Boating Industry (EBI) entitled “From Isolation to Innovation: Boosting Maritime and Coastal Tourism in Outermost Regions“.

IMF board member and Dun Laoghaire Marina manager, Paal Janson, was on hand to represent the Irish perspective and was joined on the panel discussion by European Commission Head of Unit DG MARE A.3 Mr Christos Economou and Polyvios Raxis, Atlantis Research, representing the ecoRoute project.

The workshop focused on presenting the challenges and opportunities for unlocking the potential of ecotourism of maritime and coastal tourism as well as overcoming obstacles for sustainable growth in the marine environment.

It was a valuable chance to foster collaborations and bring together stakeholders from local governments, the tourism industry, academia, and the community.

Photo Credit – James Kirwan

Over 60 members, guests and invited speakers attended an industry networking event recently in the Royal St George YC, Dun Laoghaire.

The event was organised by the Irish Marine Federation in order to bring together marine trade business owners to hear about the work the IMF is doing on their behalf. On the agenda delegates also heard about the training opportunities available as well as the advocacy work carried out by the IMF. Also discussed were the government funding programmes available to businesses and the opportunities available in the developing offshore renewable industry.

Afterwards, the attendees enjoyed socialising and networking over drinks and food in the comfort of one of the top yacht clubs in Ireland. The event was heralded as a great success by the members and guests alike and is to be the first of a number of such events held around the country.

A new Irish marine trade event was on the agenda at this week’s Irish Marine Federation board meeting at the Düsseldorf Boat Show in Germany.

With plans to feature offshore renewables and the blue economy, the key topic in a round table discussion, following on from December’s Cork meeting, was the new industry showcase event scheduled for later this year, as well as this week’s upbeat Irish participation in Europe’s largest boat show on the Rhine.

Gerry Salmon of MGM Boats chaired the meeting. It included Damien Offer of Malahide Marina, Cronan O’Donnell of POD Marine, Jonathan Moneley of Carlingford Marina, Paal Janson of Dun Laoghaire Marina, Gerry Salmon of MGM Boats, Porick Murray of Pontoons Ireland, Kenny Rumball of the INSS, Ian O’Meara of Viking Marine and James Kirwan of BJ Marine.

“The aim in 2025 is to bring together as many Irish marine businesses as possible to discuss how we build and grow our trade organisation”, Salmon told Afloat after the meeting.

The Irish trade is reporting buoyant trade at the ten-day show, with several new boat sales and a strong Irish presence this weekend, thanks to convenient and affordable flight connections.

Ireland was represented at this week’s European Boat Industry General Assembly, also at Düsseldorf, by Dun Laoghaire’s Paal Janson.

This article originally appeared on Afloat.ie

The Irish marine industry gathered at the Royal Cork Yacht Club in Crosshaven, Cork Harbour, on Monday, December 9th, for a pre-Christmas review of its activities in 2024.

A key topic on the agenda was the establishment of a new marine industry showcase event scheduled for 2025, as well as Ireland’s participation in Europe’s largest boat show, Boot Düsseldorf, taking place next January.

The meeting was chaired by Gerry Salmon of MGM Boats (pictured centre) and included notable attendees such as Ian O’Meara of Viking Marine, Cronan O’Donnell of POD Marine, Paal Janson of Dun Laoghaire Marina, Porick Murray of Pontoons Ireland, David O’Brien of Afloat, Mark Ring of Royal Cork, and James Kirwan of BJ Marine.

Additionally, the gathering featured a meetup with local marine businesses at the Crosshaven clubhouse.

This article originally appeared in Afloat.ie