A £10 million investment will be made into a North Yorkshire town to place it at the forefront of the expanding offshore renewable industries and help to boost job opportunities for the local community.

North Yorkshire Council is starting a pre-planning consultation on a new Whitby Maritime Hub, which will provide training and certification opportunities for the maritime, marine and offshore industries, to residents of Whitby and the wider area.

The funding for the project will come from the £17.1 million that was given to Whitby as part of the Government’s Town Deal scheme which awarded the town as well as Scarborough a total of £37.3 million in 2021.

I am assuming that the plans also incorporate and support the tireless work of the existing WHITBY & DISTRICT FISHING INDUSTRY TRAINING SCHOOL LIMITED, that have done so much good for the sector and region over the years.

The consultation is now open and will run for four weeks, closing on Friday, February 9.

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The Fisheries Industry Science Partnerships (FISP) scheme – which is part of the £100m UK Seafood Fund – brings together industry and researchers to deliver pioneering projects which promote the sustainable management of the UK’s fisheries and help equip the fishing industry for the future.

So far over £4 million has been made available by the UK government to fund projects under the scheme. From this week, a new funding round for the FISP is opening, with increased awards of up to £1 million for two-year projects and new eligible funding areas, allowing for a wider variety of more ambitious projects to receive support. The UK Seafood Fund will also be extended from 2024 until 31 March 2025 to help longer-term projects to succeed by giving them more time to use the investment.

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MMS (Ship Repair · Offshore · Workboats) have recently completed the build of an 18m trawler yacht at their shipyard headquarters in Hull, UK.

Designed by National Maritime SME Working Group Champions Macduff Ship Design Ltd. The Sea Ranger is classed ‘Category A Ocean’ and offers safe, economical comfortable cruising for 6 persons. 
 
This is the first recreational vessel that MMS has built and offers commercial ship strength with a highly professional fit out. MMS who have been building vessels for over 30 years pride itself on carrying out all work in house with its local workforce.

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A small grants fund of £150,000 is available to support the fishing communities affected by the Wave Hub. This fund was set up to benefit the fishing communities in Hayle and St Ives. Also to some extent Newlyn, where fishing vessels can show that they fish in the waters around the Wave Hub.

The EU and the United Kingdom concluded the negotiations on an agreement in principle setting out catch limits for jointly managed fish stocks for 2021.

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

The new 20 metre netter for South-West fishing company Waterdance Ltd built by PARKOL MARINE ENGINEERING LTD in Whitby is en route to Newlyn

The first new offshore Netter to be built for the UK flag in almost twenty years, this new vessel represents another major milestone for the Waterdance fleet, following the building of a new Crabber, the Nichola of Ladram, in 2019, and a new Beam Trawler, the Georgina of Ladram, in 2020.

The vessel will have an overall length of 20.4 metres and a breadth of 7.70 metres, giving her improved stability at sea and ensuring ample space for comfortable, low-noise accommodation, a mess deck for a crew of eight and generous hold storage.

The UK is home to several highly-skilled shipyards, including Parkol Marine Engineering Ltd in Whitby

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