A MAJOR new international boat show could be held in Liverpool in 2011.

The Liverpool Boat Show would be held in the historic surroundings of Albert Dock, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors and injecting millions of pounds into the city’s economy.

Liverpool Council, the North West Development Agency (NWDA), The Mersey Partnership (TMP) and the new Liverpool Waterfront Partnership are all backing the plan.

The show has secured major funding from the European Union and now further support is needed to secure a date in the calendar.

A preview event, which possible marine exhibitors will be invited to, will take place in Liverpool on December 3.

Multi-million pound yachts, motorboats, dinghies, waterskis and nautical equipment will be displayed during the nine-day event.

Round-the-world yachtsman Sir Robin Knox-Johnston will be the chairman of the steering committee for the show.

He said : “The Liverpool Boat Show will be staged in the very heart of Liverpool, in the magnificent surroundings of Albert, Salthouse and Canning Docks – the largest collection of Grade I-listed buildings in Britain – and on one of the most architecturally stunning waterfronts in the world.

“We will use this unique historical setting to create a boat show unlike any other, with the potential to become one of the most important and spectacular events of its kind in Europe.”