First ever Unmanned Marine Systems (UMS) certificate has been awarded

Thames Estuary have announced that, in partnership with Highways England, they have appointed international consultancy and construction company, Mace, to look at how local stakeholders and businesses can take full advantage of the opportunities brought by proposed Lower Thames Crossing.

A £36 million contract has been awarded to Marine Specialised Technology Group to deliver 18 new police patrol craft for the MOD and Gibraltar Defence Police (GDP) Forces.

National Maritime Launch:
Fisheries Working Group (London & South East)

Aberdeen company North Star Renewables has been awarded contracts worth an estimated £270 m to deliver three state-of-the-art service operation vessels (SOVs) to be used on what will be the world’s largest offshore wind farm, the 3.6GW Dogger Bank Wind Farm in the North Sea.

North Star’s contract award follows a highly-competitive tender process. The Scottish firm beat off strong international competition to secure the deal to design and deliver the three-vessel service operation fleet for Dogger Bank Wind Farm, which is currently being built in the North Sea by joint venture partners SSE Renewables, Equinor and Eni.

North Star will deliver the SOVs to Dogger Bank Wind Farm operator Equinor from Summer 2023 and will be chartered to Dogger Bank by North Star for a ten-year period, with an option for three one-year extensions.

They will also create 130 new full-time UK-based jobs in crewing and shore-based roles for the lifetime of the contract.

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We can’t always meet in person but we can always form a virtual connection, which is almost as good and you don’t need to iron a shirt.

To that aim, National Maritime have created a brand-new Facebook Group, where our Blue Prime members can interact with each other; post ideas, news, collaborations, new innovations, questions and concerns. This forum will support business and develop relationships that will make progress happen. We need input from our SME’s to Inform the SME Maritime Working Group about the key issues that affect the sector, in order to progress concerns and offer solutions at a governmental level. We want to create a fertile ground for business to grow; it’s all done here.

If you are a SME that works in or with the Maritime industry and you source, service or produce in the UK you can register to Blue Prime and become a member of the UK’s Largest SME Maritime Network and enjoy all the free benefits that entails, one of which is access to this new online forum.

We are a community of UK Maritime SMEs, enjoying access to services and content for free. We believe in making it easier for companies to access the right business support and advice, which is why we operate a ‘Pay as you Go’ membership service, providing a more value-added solution than the traditional trade association membership model. We do not ask you to pay membership fees, only pay when you require our services.

FREE BENEFITS:

• Company listing on Blue Prime, the online directory for UK maritime SME
• Exclusive access to our Blue Prime on-line networking group
• Authorised use of official UK quality marks and National Maritime logos
• Receive ‘Maritime Connection’, our bi-monthly e-newsletter sent to your in-box
• Access to the National Maritime SME Working v
• One hour business advice clinic with a Maritime Enterprise Development Mentor
• Book lounge areas & business pods for meetings at any Blue Space maritime hub with free Wi-Fi
• Discounts on meeting and training room hire at any Blue Space maritime hub
• Invitations to National Maritime member-only events
• Entitlement to member offers and discounts on networking events, goods and services
• Receive a Blue Prime Privilege Card to help access all member offers
• First to hear about and book National Maritime’s local and international events

Simply upload your business, promote your services & offer a reward that appeals to your customers. Make the maritime connection and start doing business today.

Blue Prime – National Maritime (nmdg.co.uk)

The Virtual Congress will happen between the 2nd and the 4th of March 2021, bringing together representatives from almost 40 SMEs with activity in the Shipbuilding sector from Portugal, Spain, France, Ireland, and the UK. The event will happen through the VirBELA platform.

The CONSORTEX Virtual Congress will host meetings from the six Interregional Exporting Consortia established under the Project. The objective, as CONSORTEX is coming to an end, is to give a step forward towards the constitution of those Consortia, consisting of European SMEs specialised in the manufacture of built-in packages for vessels and marine structures (Deck, Vessel Design, Accommodation, Engine Room, Bridge and Offshore Energy). 

The Project partners are committed to bringing together the Atlantic Area Shipbuilding SMEs, promoting the collaboration between them. In this context, the event will be also of relevance as the companies will have the chance to attend B2B meetings.

The Congress takes place after three rounds of meetings with SMEs, arranged between 2019 and 2020. Despite all the pandemic constraints, the CONSORTEX partnership managed to organise virtual meetings that were important to support and stimulate companies finding common interests and setting strategies. Therefore, 36 European SMEs will integrate six Export Consortia, focusing on combining expertise and assets to address international markets and new business opportunities. 

Foro Marítimo Vasco leads CONSORTEX project, which gathers the partners Fórum Oceano – Associação da Economia do Mar, Associação das Indústrias Navais, MTU – Munster Technological University, National Maritime, Clúster del Sector Naval Gallego and Bretagne Pôle Naval. Co-funded by the INTERREG Atlantic Area Programme, the Project aims to promote the competitiveness and internationalisation of the Shipbuilding sector and its ancillary industry in Portugal, Spain, France, the United Kingdom and Ireland.

With a total budget of over € 1.6 million and an ERDF incentive, through the INTERREG Atlantic Area programme, of almost € 1.3 million, CONSORTEX will end in March 2021.

For further information on CONSORTEX, please see www.consortex.eu. 

When you’re asked to work on a project restoring a 140-year-old bulk carrier to her former glory, it’s something you simply cannot refuse. 

The Falls of Clyde, the only remaining sail-driven oil tanker in the world, is heading back to her birthplace in Scotland after sailing the seas for 140 years. Built in 1878 she is a survivor and the last of her kind, a testimony to the workmanship of Scottish shipbuilding.

Currently based in Honolulu and at risk of neglect, David O’Neill, the creator and director of Falls of Clyde International, an organisation founded to save the historic Falls of Clyde from being ‘scuttled’ by the Honolulu harbours department.

“She will become a symbol of Scotland’s lead in the world of new eco-technologies, alternative propulsion and hydrogen/ electric power systems”.

David’s vision wasn’t to keep her as a static nod to Scotland’s proud nautical past by turning her into a dry-docked museum, but rather create a unique piece of history capable of sailing for a further 140 years. With a passion for the environment and climate change, David set out to create a carbon-neutral vessel that will fly the flag for Scotland’s engineering and green tech abilities.

MIT is thrilled to have been approached by the Falls of Clyde International to look at developing a sustainable diesel alternative power solution for this unusual project. Our expert team of alternative power engineers have been working on a range of solutions to deliver emission-free sailing.  

The initial plans are to use a combination of industry-leading marine thrusters, driven by either electric or hydrogen power. Manufactured by Veth Propulsion with an ethos built around simplistic and intensely engineered solutions. Over the last 5-6 decades, they have developed a range of robust and sustainable emission-free power alternatives, suitable for a variety of vessels due to the flexibility of their models. 

Tom Binns, Sales Manager, MIT, said “With sustainability at the core of our business strategy, we are delighted to play a role in such a historical project. Backed by Veth Propulsion, we are confident we have the best solution to deliver years of emission-free sailing. We look forward to welcoming such a prominent part of Scottish maritime history back to our waters”.

The Falls of Clyde International are currently engaging with a property developer based in Glasgow to discuss a new home for the vessels rebuild. The proposal would also offer the possibility of creating a new maritime centre on the site.

Marine architects and designers also have the opportunity to be involved with the project. FOCI plan to launch a competition for the redesign of the entire ship.  Details to be released shortly.

You can follow her journey in full here: https://www.foci.scot/