£500m Thames flood scheme will reduce flood risk for more than 11,000 homes

Currie & Brown has been chosen to carry out consulting services on a scheme to manage flood risks, expand access to green spaces and increase biodiversity around the river Thames.

The consultant was appointed to the £500m project by the Environment Agency and Surrey County Council.

The River Thames Scheme will create more than eight kilometres of new flood channel and increase the capacity of three existing weirs and downstream of the Desborough Cut, reducing flood risks for more than 11,000 homes and 1,600 small businesses.

This channel will be flanked by new areas of public green open space for recreation.

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Plans for £130m cable factory in the North East

A £130m factory making cables for offshore wind farms is to be built on the Northumberland coast, creating 170 new jobs and safeguarding another 270 in the region.

JDR Cable Systems, which already has sites in the North East at Newcastle and Hartlepool, wants to build the plant at Cambois, near Blyth, after receiving a grant to cover some of the construction costs from the Government’s Offshore Wind Manufacturing Investment Support scheme.

JDR and its parent company, the TFK Group, hope to raise the rest of the funding for the project from financial instutions and the Government’s UK Export Finance scheme.

When complete, it will be the only facility in the UK capable of producing high voltage subsea cables for offshore wind farms from start to finish, supporting the growing – and increasingly lucrative – renewable energy market.

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HOT OFF THE PRESS – NEW MEMBERSHIP PRIVILEGE CARD

Blue Prime Members Privilege Card

What could be better than getting money off, member discounts, freebies, V.I.P access and free coffee? Having a smart little card to show…of course.

Freshly minted Members Privilege cards are yours for the asking as long as you are a registered member of Blue Prime; and why wouldn’t you be? National Maritime have the largest SME Maritime Network in the UK, and to be a member of Blue Prime, means you can access all the free benefits you get with it.

So, if you’re a Maritime SME get registered, and if you are one of the many that already are, get in touch, we will send you the card and you can start using it. It can be used to access our member discounts and offers and you can use it when you come into our Maritime Hub in Dartford to book a meeting pod with free parking, free Wi-Fi and a free coffee included. Soon we will be ‘actually meeting’ and organising physical events again which includes bringing back our popular networking breakfasts and even more popular ‘Pitch & Pitcher’ evenings.

To register for Blue Prime membership and qualify for the members privilege card, go to:

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

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Congratulations to National Maritime SME Maritime Working Group sector champions VolkerStevin winners of the UK Ministry of Defence Sustainable Business Award

Congratulations to National Maritime SME Maritime Working Group sector champions VolkerStevin winners of the UK Ministry of Defence Sustainable Business Award for the best commercial project which delivers sustainable solutions to enable the Armed Forces to live, work or train. It was won for their work at the HNMB Portsmouth Naval Base’s, The Princess Royal and Victory Jetties Project. A partnership project between the Royal Navy, the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO), VolkerStevin, Jacobs and Naval Base stakeholders for the reconstruction of the jetties to create sustainable moorings able to accommodate the Royal Navy’s two new aircraft carriers, HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales. The project also won the Sustainable Construction category.

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JUST LAUNCHED! National Maritime Blue Prime Networking Group

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)

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Excited To Announce Our New Co-Chair of National Maritime’s SME Maritime Working Group

Tim Munn – Consultant for Iconsys and XDMC

As we continue to rethink and transform the global supply chain model to help best drive trade and growth on behalf of UK maritime SMEs, I am delighted that our Maritime Sustainability Technology Champion Tim Munn will be co-chairing with our future SME Maritime Working Group meetings.

The purpose of the SME Maritime Working Group is to bring together the best specialists or ‘sector champions’ to examine key issues, make valuable connections, share best practices and suggest improved approaches to develop strong sustainable supply chains and encourage a collaborative approach for the long-term success of the whole sector.

South London born but brought up on the Isle of Wight, Tim moved up north to start his career as an electrical engineer. After a whirlwind romance in Brazil, where he met and married his wife of 15 years, he moved back to the UK and settled down to bring up their two boys. In 2006 he started working for ABB – offshore & marine, as an engineer and progressed to a senior position there in business development. With many years of experience under his belt he has now embarked on a new chapter of his career, consulting for Iconsys – Automated Technology Solutions and XDM Controls. He resides in Doncaster now, indulging his hobby of home automation systems, when he has a spare minute, and looks forward to travelling back to his second home in Southern Brazil as soon as he is can.

As an industry stalwart, Tim is a great champion of our cause and this new position will see him broadening his skills further.

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