Hull presses on with maritime attraction

The city council has signed a decision record to instruct Esteem Consortium to create a permanent structure for the North End Shipyard dock gates.

As part of the Hull Maritime project, the shipyard is set to become the new home for the last remaining sidewinder trawler, Arctic Corsair and create a new visitor attraction for the city.

Esteem in partnership with local contractor, Spencer Group have delivered an initial design stage and overall masterplan for the delivery of the project.

This includes a three-stage approach to enable the dry docking of the Arctic Corsair later this year and install a permanent dock wall.

First, the removal of the current dock gate will take place to enable the trawler to enter the dock, then a temporary structure will be installed to keep the dock dry while a permanent dock wall is created and installed to make a final dry dock watertight and enable safe access for visitors.

Cllr Mike Ross, leader of Hull City Council, said: “The North End Shipyard is steeped in shipbuilding history along the River Hull and will be revived as part of the plans to become the new home for the restored Arctic Corsair.

“We are looking forward to continuing to work with Esteem Limited and the Spencer Group to deliver this critical element of work and create a new attraction for Hull and our residents.”

Working with partners including the Environment Agency and other key stakeholders, a design phase has been completed and will now move forward with plans for the delivery plan and execution of the phased approach.

There will be a new Passivhaus visitor centre and Hull’s last remaining 20th century Scotch Derrick crane will form part of the wider plans for North End Shipyard. The new attraction is expected to open in early 2025.