Five-figure funding unlocks job creation and expansion for Wirral firm National Marine

Wirral-based safety boat and equipment hire firm National Marine is expanding its operations and taking on new employees after landing a five-figure funding boost.

National Marine, which also provides trained crews, will create three new jobs with the loan from the FW Capital-managed North West Fund for Loans Plus.

Further, the company is investing in new staff uniforms, new safety equipment for its vessels, increased marketing efforts and a revamped website.

Founded in 2012, National Marine’s fleet is used for various flood defence and civil engineering projects, in addition to providing support for the emergency services.

Today, the firm counts the BBC, Wirral and Sefton Councils and fast food chain McDonald’s among its clients. National Marine is also supporting construction business Bam Nuttall in its delivery of port operator Peel Ports’ £300m Liverpool2 project.

National Marine’s MD Jon Henshaw, a qualified marine engineer, is excited about the company’s future.

He commented: “National Marine offers a range of boats, pontoons and other services which are currently hired by customers in a number of different industries and sectors.

“We have significant potential to expand and the loan from The North West Fund for Loans Plus will help us to unlock this potential.”

Jon continued: “FW Capital has been very supportive and understands our growth plans. We can now invest in key aspects of our business such as our facilities, marketing and recruitment to help us build our customer base across the whole of the UK.”

The firm also has a database of trained skippers and crew members based around the UK, ready to deploy on jobs all over the country.

Jo Henshaw, National Marine’s administrative director, said: “We understand the importance of helping local communities and we look for local crews to staff our boats no matter where in the country the job is.

“National Marine now has the opportunity to build on a growing marine industry and is proud to support the 50th anniversary of West Kirby Lifeboat.”

She added: “As a progressive company we look forward to the opportunities the loan money has opened up to us, and would like to thank FW Capital for all their help and support.”

Loz O’Connor, a Manchester-based investment executive with fund management firm FW Capital, hailed National Marine as an “ambitious and growing” company with an “experienced management team” at the helm.

Loz continued: “Jon and his team have the skills and expertise to transform their company into a leading supplier in this growing niche market.

“The loan from The North West Fund for Loans Plus has provided the business with the funding boost it needs to build a new state of the art safety and training facility on the Mersey estuary.”

He added: “The loan will also enable the company to develop its operational base, recruit more staff and implement new marketing initiatives.”

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