The new 24/7 worldwide service has been launched at the start of London International Shipping Week (13 September 2021), one of the most respected and valued maritime events in the world.

The new team will be responsible for boosting the nation’s maritime sector, by offering a proactive service to any maritime business that needs assistance with navigating government departments. The UK is a traditionally strong maritime nation, and the UK Shipping Concierge has been designed to ensure the nation is always able to deliver on this reputation by making it easier to set up a business, new or established, in the UK.

The service will connect owners and operators with the relevant government departments, UK trade associations and related maritime specialists, to ensure that they have access to the right expertise in an efficient and timely manner.

Benefits include:

• single point of contact for UK government departments and services
• providing strategic account management for relationships with government department experts, ship owners, operators, managers and maritime sub-sector leaders
• facilitating an accessible link between maritime industry and government
• identifying and removing barriers to entry to UK for the maritime sector and advising government on how to advance policy informed by commercial, social and environmental needs
• helping drive UK maritime prosperity to create jobs and grow the maritime economy
• providing the UK maritime sector with a government centre of expertise, continuously monitoring international propositions and recommending adjustments to the UK’s offer

It is one of the first on the market, designed to create a streamlined and personalised experience for international maritime businesses, and the new service will transform a once complex endeavour that involved multiple areas into a simple process dealing with one team.

Maritime Minister Robert Courts said:

The UK is the world’s best place to do maritime business. We’re investing in new technologies, committed to decarbonisation, and home to the world centre of ship management and maritime financial and legal services.

Our new UK Shipping Concierge service will help the maritime sector unlock more opportunities here in the UK by providing a one-stop-shop of advice, support, and guidance.

Strategic Lead for the UK Shipping Concierge Mark Seastron said:

It really is an exciting service to be launching in LISW, one we are proud to be shouting about.

The aim is to make it easier for shipping companies to gain access to the UK and it’s something those shipping operators have been asking about for a long time. It’s going to revolutionise what we offer as a maritime nation.

While delivering excellent customer service and a personalised experience are at the heart of the service’s aims, the UK Shipping Concierge will go a step further by providing corporate account management to ensure the UK is a place where maritime businesses can thrive.

It aligns with the UK government’s initiative to Build Back Better and will enable maritime businesses to benefit from this investment. The recommendation for the concierge service came from a report delivered by Maritime London at the last LISW.

To find the latest information and updates, visit:

Sign up to hear more about the new service at London International Shipping Week

Meet the new team at our launch event and find out how they can help your maritime business invest and thrive in the UK. This live event will be hosted online and includes a Q&A session where you’ll be able to ask questions of the concierge team.

Dates and times:

On 8 September 2021, at Sheffield Magistrates Court before District Judge Redhouse, the company was fined a total of £150,000 and ordered to pay £36,506.25 costs.

Yorkshire Water Service Limited pleaded guilty to 2 charges at an earlier hearing. The charges were causing sewage sludge to enter a tributary of the Mother Drain and breach of permit condition relating to ammoniacal nitrogen levels in their final treated sewage effluent.

Representing the Environment Agency, Rebecca Chalkley told the court that Yorkshire Water Service Limited holds an environmental permit. The permit authorises water discharges from Balby Sewage Treatment Works under a number of strict conditions.

On March 28 2017, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust reported that Mother Drain at the Potter Carr Nature Reserve, had become discoloured and smelt of chemicals. The site is of Special Scientific Interest.

Environment Agency officials attended and confirmed pollution of the Mother Drain. They saw small pieces of toilet paper floating in the water, which looked grey, and sample results confirmed high levels of ammoniacal nitrogen in the water.

Due to the severity of the pollution the Environment Agency requested the Internal Drainage Board to switch off a pump station used for land drainage. It was switched off to prevent polluted water passing downstream to the River Torne, they also instructed abstractors to cease abstracting water. This included Doncaster Golf Club.

Once the Environment Agency contacted Yorkshire Water Services Limited, they confirmed that there was an issue at Balby Sewage Treatment Works.

Officers attended Balby Sewage Treatment Works on March 29 2017 and took a sample of treated sewage effluent which contained ammoniacal nitrogen above the permitted maximum limit.

During the site visit Yorkshire Water Services Limited explained that a valve failure had led to a settlement tank on site draining sewage sludge. The sludge drained inside a building and onto surrounding ground.

Later, in an interview under caution, Yorkshire Water Services Limited explained that the valve failure happened on Monday 27 March 2017. But they did not contact the Environment Agency because they thought effluent was contained on site.

The company further added that electrical damage caused by the incident affected parts of the works and disrupted the biological treatment processes. This resulted in a deterioration of the treated sewage effluent quality.

In response to the incident Yorkshire Water Services Limited placed aeration equipment in the Mother Drain. The Environment Agency continued to investigate and monitor the effects of the pollution for over a week. There was no sign of dead or distressed fish.

In court, District Judge Redhouse found the culpability of Yorkshire Water Services Limited to be ‘high negligent’. Due to the fact the incident could have been avoided if there had been a drain survey at the site and if the valves had been checked.

She stated that whilst the general public may consider the actions reckless when applying common everyday language, in criminal legal terms it was negligent. She described it as “very negligent”.

A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said:

Water companies are aware that their activities have the potential for serious environmental impacts, and they know that we will take action when they cause pollution.

In this case Yorkshire Water has failed the environment, customers and the system of environmental laws the public puts its trust in.

Polluters must pay, the Environment Agency will continue to do everything in its power to ensure that they do.

If anyone has environmental concerns they should call our 24/7 hotline on 0800-80-70-60.

On or before 27 March 2017, at Balby Sewage Treatment Works, Yorkshire Water Services Limited did cause a water discharge activity in that sewage sludge entered a tributary of Mother Drain contrary to Regulation 12(1) and 38(1)(a) of the Environmental Permitting (England & Wales) Regulations 2016.

On 29 March 2017 at Balby Sewage Treatment Works, Yorkshire Water Services Limited did breach condition 11 of environmental permit T/83/45405/R in that treated sewage effluent readings of ammoniacal nitrogen readings exceeded the maximum amount of 20mg/l of authorised by the said permit, contrary to Regulation 38(2) of the Environmental Permitting (England & Wales) Regulations 2016.

The Environment Agency has prosecuted Yorkshire Water Services Limited for illegally discharging sewage effluent into the Potter Carr Nature Reserve.

• 425,000 jobs a year to be supported over the next four years in the most ambitious programme of infrastructure investment on record.
• This comes as the Government publishes its new jobs update which sets out the support provided to millions of people since the pandemic began and how the Plan for Jobs will continue supporting people into work and develop the skills they need to thrive as we emerge from the pandemic.
• Prime Minister and Chancellor to meet with new apprentices in the Midlands

In the most ambitious National Infrastructure and Construction Pipeline to date, the Government sets out how £650 billion of private and public investment will be implemented in infrastructure projects across the country over the next decade – creating new opportunities for thousands of apprentices, technicians, graduates and skilled workers.

This comes as the Government also publishes its new jobs progress update – setting out how millions of people and businesses have been supported through its Plan for Jobs and over £350 billion of support since the pandemic began. Since its launch last year the Plan for Jobs has safeguarded the economy, supported people back into work and will continue to invest in giving people the skills they need for a successful career.

Work is the best route out of poverty, it gives families financial security, and it provides opportunity to grow and develop. That is why jobs continues to be the Government’s highest economic priority.

Just as for HGV shortages, the Government will continue to work closely with business to identify any challenges in the labour market and respond pro-actively to help prevent disruption to markets and consumers.

The Prime Minister said:

From entry level roles and post university careers, we’re creating the jobs this country needs to build back better following the pandemic.

Business confidence is growing and thanks to the action we’ve taken we’re expected to see two million fewer people out of work.

We are investing in our Plan for Jobs because supporting people into work, ensuring they get the skills they need to get good jobs and helping businesses fill their vacancies is the best way to get the economy moving.

Speaking ahead of the visit, Chancellor Rishi Sunak said:

We put a Plan in place to protect jobs and businesses in their hour of need and I am immensely proud to say that it is working.

Today’s announcement of 425,000 jobs supported per year over the next four years shows that we are sticking to that plan as we level up opportunities across the country.

But this isn’t just about numbers – our Plan for Jobs is also about giving people the hope and opportunity to meet their potential as we emerge from the pandemic and the economy recovers.

Thérèse Coffey, Secretary of State for the Department for Work and Pensions, said:

Our multi-billion pound Plan for Jobs is working, getting tens of thousands of people back into employment but also going further by helping workers boost skills, earnings and prospects.

Our 13,500 extra Work Coaches in communities across the UK are matching talent to opportunity so people can increase hours, income or secure a better paid job, as we build back better.

So far, £68.5 billion has been spent on the furlough scheme alone, protecting 11.6 million people since its inception, or over a third of the entire workforce right across our United Kingdom. That’s 910,000 jobs in Scotland, 470,000 jobs in Wales, and nearly 290,000 jobs in Northern Ireland.

Millions of self-employed people and small business owners have been supported through 9.9 million SEISS grants claimed, worth £27 billion.

And the Plan is working. Since the pandemic began, the government has doubled the number of front-line Jobcentre staff – totalling 27,000 work coaches in just eight months. Unemployment has fallen for 6 monthly releases in a row, with peak unemployment forecast to be two million fewer than previously feared, and the number of employees on payrolls has increased for the eighth consecutive month, up by 182,000 in July 2021. The unemployment rate in the UK is now lower than the US, Canada, France, Italy, Spain, and Australia.

The Plan for Jobs is also supporting people to develop the skills they need to find the jobs of tomorrow. So far:

• 63,000 young people have started their Kickstart job;
• Restart will help over a million long-term unemployed people on Universal Credit;
• More than 80,000 apprentices have been newly hired under our new incentive payments;
• More than 138,000 people have benefitted from the Job Entry Targeted Support, and; *An average of 1,200 job seekers per week enrolling on a Sector-based Work Academy Programmes.

As we move to a new phase of the Plan for Jobs, the Government will continue to maximise employment across the country, create high quality, productive jobs, and deliver the skills that people, businesses and the economy need to thrive as we build back better.

Further information:

• More information about the Plan for Jobs support measures can be found online
• The new Plan for Jobs Progress Update has been published online.
• Details about the Infrastructure Pipeline can be found on the Infrastructure and Projects Authority website.
• As a result of today’s infrastructure pipeline, £89bn of investment will be targeted to social infrastructure to help communities through 165 education projects worth £2.5 billion, including major rebuilding projects at schools and sixth form colleges. In total, this investment equates to £254m Economic Infrastructure (Public), £208m Private Investment (across all sectors), £97m Regulated Utilities, £89m Social Infrastructure (Public).
• To help suppliers make business critical decisions as we emerge from the coronavirus crisis, the Government is also setting out details of £30bn of planned procurements over the next 12 months in social and economic infrastructure.
• Today’s new Transforming Infrastructure Performance: Roadmap to 2030 also sets out a vision to put digital technology and innovation at the heart of our approach to infrastructure investment and delivery.
• The Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) estimates over 425,000 individuals will be required, on an average annual basis, across 2021/22 to 2024/25 to deliver the planned investment of £200 billion. These future workforce estimates are based solely on the planned investments within the pipeline. The analysis should be treated as an indication of potential workforce demand and not an exhaustive view.