What Tees Maritime Cluster does

Tees Maritime Cluster Ltd is a not-for-profit industry-led cluster organisation registered in England and Wales (Company Registration Number 16124127) and headquartered in Middlesbrough. It operates as a convener for the Tees Valley maritime sector and its wider supply chain, spanning ports and maritime operations, logistics and supply chain, energy and decarbonisation, industry and manufacturing, digital and technology, education and skills, and finance and investment. The organisation's core function is to coordinate industry activity into tangible regional outcomes — building skills pathways and driving long-term economic growth — by turning collective industry voice into influence on policy, shaping skills frameworks, and amplifying Teesside's voice nationally.

The cluster's products are services and membership tiers rather than technology assets. The portfolio consists of a three-tier membership structure — Member (£100/year, free to THPUA members and educators), Partner (£3,000/year, previously "Executive"), and Strategic Committee (£10,000/year, newly introduced) — each delivering progressively deeper access to consultations, roundtables, working groups, voting rights, and strategic-priority setting. Supporting service lines cover Policy & Influence advocacy, Education & Skills workforce development, and Partners & Investors coordination. Underlying technology is minimal: a WordPress-based website plus a member login portal, with no proprietary software, platform, or API surface.

The business model is a not-for-profit subscription model. Recurring membership fees fund cluster activities, education, outreach, and regional maritime economic development. Distribution combines self-serve online applications (teesmaritime.com), direct sales engagement with senior industry leaders through Board and Strategic Committee members, and event- and roundtable-driven recruitment. The cluster is governed by a Board composed of senior representatives from anchor partners including PD Ports, Port of Middlesbrough, Steel River Quay, Teesside University, Middlesbrough College, North Star, Geopura, PC Logistics, Setfords, Cockfield Knight, Clive Owen LLP, Casper Shipping, and Red Lion Marine, alongside Tees Valley Combined Authority representation on the Strategic Committee.

Name

Tees Maritime Cluster

Legal name

Tees Maritime Cluster Ltd

Website

https://teesmaritime.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Tees Maritime Cluster is a not-for-profit, industry-led cluster organisation based in Middlesbrough that convenes the Tees Valley maritime sector — ports, logistics, energy, manufacturing, and education — through a three-tier paid membership model to coordinate skills, policy influence, and regional economic growth.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Middlesbrough

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Tees Maritime generates revenue through tiered membership fees. The three membership levels are: Member (£100 annually or free for THPUA Members and Educators), Partner (£3,000 annually), and Strategic Committee (£10,000 annually). As a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee, revenue supports cluster activities, education, outreach, and regional maritime economic development.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Tees Maritime Cluster is an industry-led not-for-profit cluster organization that operates a tiered membership programme (Member at £100/year, Partner at £3,000/year, and Strategic Committee at £10,000/year) for maritime, energy, manufacturing, logistics, and education organisations in the Tees Valley. It provides policy and influence advocacy, education and skills pathway development, and partner and investor coordination as member benefits. The organization also runs a Membership Portal for member collaboration and engages young people through programmes such as the North East School of Shipping to build the future maritime workforce.

Product overview

Tees Maritime Cluster is a not-for-profit industry-led organization serving as the trusted maritime cluster for the Tees Valley. Rather than a unified software platform, the organization offers a tiered membership structure with three levels—Member (£100/year), Partner (£3,000/year), and Strategic Committee (£10,000/year)—each providing progressive access to policy influence, skills development, networking, and regional coordination services. Additional offerings include the Membership Portal for member access, Policy & Influence advocacy services, Education & Skills development programmes, and Partners & Investors coordination. The cluster focuses on sectors including Shipping & Marine, Energy & Decarbonisation, Industry & Manufacturing, and Logistics & Supply Chain across the Teesside region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Member Membership Entry-level membership tier at £100 per year (free for THPUA Members and Educators) providing regular updates on cluster activity, listing in the member directory, access to selected open events, and eligibility to vote on Chair and Vice Chair of the Board. Designed for organisations joining the Tees Valley maritime cluster at an introductory level.
• Partner Membership Mid-tier membership at £3,000 per year providing active engagement through participation in consultations, surveys and roundtables, involvement in working groups aligned to interests, opportunities to support and shape skills and talent initiatives, priority access to speaking and sponsorship opportunities, voting rights on programmes and structure decisions, and support for demonstrable social value activity aligned with CSR and Social Value reporting frameworks. Designed for organisations actively shaping Tees Maritime's work.
• Strategic Committee Membership Premium membership tier at £10,000 per year designed for senior leaders and philanthropists, providing direct input into strategic priorities, focus areas and the cluster manifesto, ability to guide where collective effort and resources are directed, annual election of Strategic Committee Chair and Vice Chair, recognition as a strategic supporter, visibility through collective reporting of regional impact, and ability to reference Tees Maritime's collective impact in CSR, ESG and Social Value reporting.
• Membership Portal Online portal accessible to Tees Maritime members providing a space to connect, collaborate, and access exclusive resources. Available as a member benefit via the teesmaritime.com/membership-portal page.

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Tees Valley Combined AuthoritycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA) is represented on the Strategic Committee of Tees Maritime. As the regional combined authority, TVCA plays a key role in governance and place-based growth, providing strategic alignment between the cluster and regional economic development priorities.
• PD PortscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPD Ports is represented on the Strategic Committee of Tees Maritime. As a major port operator on the River Tees, PD Ports brings significant maritime operational expertise and is committed to driving collaboration, skills development and industry growth in the Tees Valley.
• Port of MiddlesbroughcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPort of Middlesbrough is represented on the Strategic Committee of Tees Maritime. As a key port facility in the region, it contributes to the cluster's mission of strengthening the regional maritime economy and supporting future talent.
• Steel River QuaycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSteel River Quay is represented on the Strategic Committee of Tees Maritime. The facility has played a key role in operational start-up including offshore renewable marshalling projects, supporting the cluster's focus on energy transition and decarbonisation.
• GeopurasupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerGeopura is represented on the Strategic Committee of Tees Maritime. As a clean energy company, Geopura contributes to the cluster's focus on energy and decarbonisation, supporting the region's transition to net zero.
• PC LogisticssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPC Logistics is represented on the Strategic Committee of Tees Maritime. As a logistics company, PC Logistics supports the cluster's focus on logistics and supply chain connectivity, enabling efficient movement of goods from port to production line and global markets.
• Tees and Hartlepool Port Users Association (THPUA)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerTees and Hartlepool Port Users Association members receive free Member tier membership at Tees Maritime. The association provides a pathway for port users to engage with the broader cluster and maritime community in the Tees Valley region.
• North StarsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerNorth Star (represented by Andrew Duncan, Renewables & Innovations Director) is a strategic partner involved in the Tees Maritime cluster. North Star has played a key role in the company's transition into offshore wind, supporting investment, new vessel builds and contract placements across Europe.
• Clive Owen LLPsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerClive Owen LLP (represented by Carl Wright, Partner) is a strategic partner in the Tees Maritime cluster. The firm specialises in grant advisory work and has supported businesses across the UK to secure over £350 million in funding, helping create and safeguard more than 20,000 jobs.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Energy North (North East of England): North East England cluster focused on offshore wind and energy transition. Comparable as a regional cluster addressing overlapping stakeholders (Geopura, North Star, Steel River Quay) in the same Teesside energy transition ecosystem.

Regional players

• Thames Estuary Growth Board: UK regional coordination body focused on maritime, infrastructure, and economic growth around the Thames. Comparable as a regional convening and advocacy model, but anchored in a different geography with a wider remit beyond maritime.
• Scottish Maritime Network: UK regional maritime cluster organisation. Comparable as a membership-based industry body convening maritime stakeholders within a defined geographic region — same operating model but serves Scotland rather than North East England.

Others

• PD Ports (member/partner): Major UK port operator on the River Tees and Strategic Committee member of Tees Maritime. Comparable as a regional maritime anchor whose participation defines the cluster's stakeholder base and convening credibility.
• Maritime Skills Commission: UK maritime sector-led body focused on skills, training pathways, and workforce policy. Comparable focus area to Tees Maritime's Education & Skills pillar — both work to align industry demand with training provision; the cluster's Commissioner (Nikki Sayer) sits on this body.

Broad incumbents

• UK Ports Association (Port of Middlesbrough-affiliated bodies): UK-wide association representing port operators and terminals. Comparable at the industry-association level — provides policy advocacy and industry coordination that overlaps with the cluster's port-related convening activity.
• Maritime UK: National umbrella body for the UK maritime sector. Comparable as the apex trade association that Tees Maritime Cluster complements regionally — both serve to coordinate industry voice, policy influence, and skills advocacy across overlapping maritime stakeholders.

Direct peers

• Mersey Maritime: Industry-led cluster and membership organisation for the Mersey maritime and logistics sector. Closely comparable operating model — tiered membership, regional coordination, education/skills focus, and policy advocacy for a UK port region.
• Solent Cluster for Maritime, Aerospace and Defence: UK regional industry-led cluster organisation coordinating maritime stakeholders in the Solent. Directly comparable model — industry-led cluster with tiered membership, convening role across port operators, supply chain, skills, and government engagement.
• Cornwall Marine Network: Cluster-style industry body representing marine businesses in Cornwall with tiered membership and skills/training programmes. Comparable as a UK regional maritime membership organisation focused on industry coordination and workforce development.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tees-maritime

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Tees Maritime Cluster