The first vessel of its kind to be built on the Tees in decades will put Middlesbrough “back on the map for ship-building”, its owners have claimed.
The multi-million pound DSV Curtis Marshall has been launched by Teesside businessmen Tony Curtis and Barry Marshall.
It is the first industrial dive support vessel of its kind to be built entirely on Teesside for years, and will cater for the growing UK offshore wind market among others.
And the partnership says it won’t be the last.
Barry is founder of B Marshall Engineering Ltd, based at Dockside Road, in Middlesbrough, and Tony Curtis is founder of North Ormesby-based Sub Aqua Diving Services.
Paul Curtis, director at Sub Aqua Diving Systems and Tony’s son, said : “This project puts Middlesbrough back on the map for ship-building.
“It’s been four years’ hard work for everyone involved. Now we are looking forward to seeing where it can go.
“It’s not a finished project until it’s out working, and we are talking to people all the time.
“It’s purpose-built for working on offshore wind farms mainly offering diving support. Renewable energy is the main target market but it could also be used for many other inshore and offshore projects.
“It’s well-equipped and versatile because of its size, which means it’s also a more cost effective solution than that of a larger DSV.”
The 26-metre long dive support vessel (DSV) has been built at B Marshall Engineering’s Dockside Road yard in Middlesbrough, and has equipment including a decompression chamber on board and accommodation for 16.
The vessel will be managed by B Marshall Marine, established in 2010 as part of the joint venture, with on-board dive systems managed and maintained by Sub Aqua Diving Services.
Barry has also built two steel hull pleasure cruisers for personal use. He formed B Marshall Marine with Tony after the pair spotted a gap in the market for a DSV on a small scale.
Both owners are preparing for the next generation to take the reins of their companies; Tony founded Sub Aqua Diving Services in 1975 and his two sons, Paul and Derek, run the business, while Barry’s son Benjamin is a B Marshall director.
Chris Jakeman, of B Marshall, said: “We want this to be the first of several vessels, to bring ship-building back to the Tees.
“From the first piece of steel to completion, it’s all been done here. It’s something that hasn’t been achieved for some time on the Tees.
“AVECO next-door was one of the biggest companies, but even then their ships’ hulls were sent away for fit out by other sites.
“There’s a shortage of this type of vessel. DSVs are usually huge, 80 metres or so.
“The DSV Curtis Marshall can work anywhere; Dogger Bank, the West Coast. It’s Category 1, which means it can go 150 miles offshore.
“We’ve built this from the ground up. We have a permanent three-man crew lined up and there’ll be 16 people on board so we are generating jobs.”
The boat has undergone various checks with the Maritime Coastguard Agency (MCA).
In December, Tees-built 14-metre fishing vessel Gracie Ava was launched by Jalna Construction, marking the culmination of two years’ work at the fabrication firm’s Riverside Park base.
The vessel set out for the Isle of Skye, where it will be used for salmon net cleaning and fishing by its new owner Feorlig Marine. Jalna Construction is now considering making a second vessel on Teesside.
Shipbuilding and repair has been a feature of the Tees industrial scene since 1783 when there were three shipyards at Stockton.
A golden age of shipbuilding on the Tees was in the 1860s and 1870s when income from this sector soared from £2,491 to £32,387 a year.
Yards such as Raylton Dixon, Topners, Craig Taylors and Richardson Duck became household names as sons followed fathers into the industry.
In 1907 Smiths Dock and Co, the oldest firm of Tyneside shipbuilders, set up a Teesside operation at South Bank.
In 1912 the Furness Shipbuilding Co set up at Haverton Hill.
By 1930 recession had struck and these were the only two yards still going.
But orders petered out and in 1979 the last 900 workers at the Furness yard were axed.
The end of an era came on October 15, 1986 when the last ship was launched from Smith’s Dock.
Some traditions were revived when the former Smith’s Dock was reborn as Tees Offshore Base in 1988 and became home to a range of offshore service industry companies including Tees Dockyard, bought out by Cammell Laird in 1998.
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