Member Article

New centre aims to land more ship design work for North East

A new £2.3m hub to help the North East land international ship design contracts has been given the go-ahead following One NorthEast’s decision to back the scheme. The International Marine Design Centre (based in Newcastle) will provide a focal point for the North East ship design industry, marketing its combined strengths to the world in a bid to land major new ship design contracts.

It will provide easy access facilities for local firms to carry out project work under one roof. The centre will be staffed by industry experts in offices in central Newcastle. One NorthEast is leading the project and has agreed £1.5m worth of funding which will showcase regional marine design capability, with the intention of raising the chances of North East marine sector firms landing new work. North East firms could pool their resources to help win large contracts. The centre will plug a commercial gap, acting as the first port of call for clients, customers and companies looking to recruit the services of many designers to work on one project.

Ray Thompson, One NorthEast Marine Sector Specialist, said: “It will become an internationally recognised centre of excellence to showcase the North East’s marine design skills and technology. “Our region is still rich in marine design skills which are highly valued around the world. “We have suffered in recent years through a decline in the fabrication of ships – but the design skills are still here and we want to provide a focal point for the companies to win new work. “There are huge naval projects to tap into within the UK and Australia for example, and a phenomenal growth in civil shipping contracts in China, where the North East’s marine sector design expertise will be much in demand.”

The North East marine design sector consists of about 20 companies. Design work ranges from hull design to detailed work on internal components such as accommodation modules, machinery and cargo handling systems. The centre will assist in training up to 100 designers and will provide opportunities for graduates, as well as offering student placements from Newcastle University’s School of Marine Science and Technology.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .