• Home

• Business Relocation
  • Overview
  • Top Sites
  • Flexible and Incubator Accommodation
  • Financial Assistance
  • Training and Recruitment

• Investor Support

• The Region
  • Overview
  • Quality of Life
  • Transportation
  • Culture and Leisure
  • Communications
  • Population Statistics
  • Education and Training
  • Industry Sectors
    • Automotive
    • Contact Centres
    • Offshore & Engineering
    • Life Sciences
    • Software and Digital
    • Government/Public Sector Relocation
  • Top Employers
  • Wage Rates

• News + Events
  • Overview
  • Press Releases
  • Events and Exhibitions
  • Investor Newsletter

• Contact Us
  • Contact Us
  • Location
  • Links

press releases

Flagship Centre Draws on Marine Skills

A pioneering Marine Design Centre has opened on Tyneside. The £2.3 million International Marine Design Centre (MDC) is based close to Newcastle’s Central Station and received support from Tyne and Wear Development Company.

MDC is the first centre of its kind in the UK and will be a focal point for the ship design industry. The region has a long history in shipbuilding and retains a large pool of ship design talent. The new centre will allow these strengths to be combined in a bid to win naval and commercial contracts.

Experts predict it will create a substantial number of new jobs and add anything up to £100 million to the marine and defence industry by 2016.

Trevor Harrison, managing director of Northern Defence Industries (NDI), which will run the centre, said: “The largest companies in all sectors of the global marine market are increasingly seeking access to ‘clusters of capability’ to fulfil their requirements. The MDC is structured to provide precisely this capability and will act as a single point of contact for them.”

Facilities will allow companies to place up to 40 designers at any one time into the centre to work on contracts, supported by three full time industry experts. Future contracts could include the Royal Navy’s two new aircraft carriers and contracts in buoyant civil and naval markets such as Australia, Malaysia and China.

David Hewitt, a Director of the MDC, said “There is a vacuum where the region’s shipyards used to provide a focus for the supply chains in the marine sector. Our vision is to make the North East a centre of the worldwide marine industry, by building on all the key knowledge and experience that we have from the past.

Tyne and Wear Development Company was able to help in the delivery of the MDC project by working with Trevor Harrison to identify and secure appropriate premises. The project also received funding of £1.5 million from One NorthEast.

Paul Buie, manager of Tyne and Wear Development Company, said: “This is a fantastic facility that will hopefully be the birthplace of some of tomorrow’s leading ship designs. It heralds a bright new future for the region’s marine sector.

Back