£30m Hull maritime regeneration project to provide new home for “iconic” vessel

Hull based engineering company Spencer Group is delivering a new permanent base for an “iconic” vessel as part of a major regeneration project in its home city.

Spencer Group has been awarded the contract to build a wet berth for the Spurn Lightship in Hull Marina. The new dock for the cherished vessel will form an “important part” of the Hull City Council-led Hull Maritime project.

The £30m city-wide cultural regeneration scheme will celebrate and preserve Hull’s rich maritime heritage. It involves the refurbishment of the Hull Maritime Museum and the restoration of two historic ships; the Arctic Corsair and the Spurn Lightship.

The lightship was built in 1927 and served for 48 years as a navigation aid in the approaches of the Humber Estuary. It was decommissioned in 1975 before being bought by Hull City Council and moved to Hull Marina as a museum.

It has been closed since 2018 but is now expected to reopen in its new home in the north-west corner of the marina, close to the Murdoch’s Connection footbridge, next summer. The delivery of the wet berth is the latest in an impressive portfolio of marine projects delivered by Spencer Group, which include significant port infrastructure works.

Richard Green-Morgan, construction director for Spencer Group, commented: “Spencer Group is delighted to have been awarded the contract to provide the wet berth for the Spurn Lightship.

“We’re excited to be a part of the transformative Hull Maritime project in our home city and proud to aid the return of the iconic Spurn Lightship vessel to the marina, for residents and visitors to enjoy.

“As a leading multi-disciplinary engineering company, we deliver major projects across the UK and the world, but we always enjoy working on our own doorstep. We hope to carry out some early investigation works before Christmas, with the main works beginning in January.”

The works will include dredging of the berthing area and the installation of five mooring piles and a concrete bankseat, as well as a steel walkway to allow access onto the lightship once it has been moved into place.

Work to restore the lightship is in its final stages and is expected to be complete in the coming months. The ship will then move to a temporary home on the marina until the new dock is scheduled to be complete next spring.

By Matthew Neville – Correspondent, Bdaily

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