'It was excellent to see so many British companies doing well at this year's DAME Awards,' said Rob Stevens, chief executive of the British Marine Federation (BMF). 'It reinforces the UK marine equipment industry's strong reputation for innovation, good design and quality at this very important time for the industry.'

'The DAME Awards are a much sought after award and our success demonstrates Henri Lloyd remains at the forefront of innovation in a very competitive market sector,' said the company's joint chief executive Paul Strzelecki.

The overall DAME Winner was the Hybrid Propulsion System from Steyr Motors GmbH. The engine itself can be used to start the unit, eliminating the need for a starter motor.

The engine can also be used as a generator to charge the vessel's batteries and it can be used to leave a harbour in cruise mode under electric power at speeds up to 5kts.

Finally, the engine can be used in boost mode where additional power is required, for example to get the boat onto the plane.