Marine firms from across the region are pitching for business this week at Seawork International, Europe's largest commercial workboat exhibition.

Nearly 8,000 visitors are expected to visit the three-day show - the largest to date with 611 exhibitors - which started yesterday at the ABP Port of Southampton.

Goodchild Marine, of Burgh Castle near Great Yarmouth, is displaying its new-design SB Lynx 16m catamaran built for the Northumberland Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority.

The £950,000 boat, designed in conjunction with South Boats IOW, has attracted strong interest according to managing-director Alan Goodchild with three other potential sales leads.

He said the company's 40-strong workforce was currently being kept very busy with a healthy order book.

'We are just about to sign contracts on a £700,000 Lochin 40 jet drive lifeboat for the South African equivalent of the RNLI and there is the potential to build two more for them,' he said.

They were also building a £470,000 14.5-metre offshore rib for Solent rib Charter and a Marina Master dredger - a unique design that 'walks on the riverbed' - in an order worth £700,000.

'What keeps us ahead of the game is coming up with innovation all the time,' he said.

Great Yarmouth success story Alicat Workboats is also at the Seawork show exhibiting two aluminium windfarm catamarans and a 13-metre glass-reinforced plastic catamaran.

General manager Simon Coote said: 'We are seeing a lot of interest. We book slots during the show for guided tours of the vessels and there are not many left.'

He said they were expecting a fresh surge in demand for windfarm boats next year as new offshore schemes get under way.

Beccles marine products form ASAP Supplies is teaming up on a show stand with fuel filtration systems leader Parker Racor.

Sales manager Tom Edwards said: 'Seawork and the London Boat Show are the two most important events of the year for us. This is an important networking show, a great hub for everyone in the industry to get together.'

Other firms from the region taking part include Brundall-based AR Peachment, the UK distributor for Nanni Diesel engines among other brands.