Stumped by silt but soon to be expunged to fruition, according to our dry dock progress correspondent Angus Young.
After literally getting stuck in the mud, the ambitious project to create a new permanent berth for the Arctic Corsair is back up and running. Approval for a much-delayed marine licence required to remove silt from the River Hull means the former sidewinder trawler is now scheduled to be dry-docked at the North End shipyard in April 2026.
Around 3,500 cubic metres of silt will be removed from the banks of the river, allowing the installation of a new 50-tonne dock gate and the creation of a sufficiently clear navigational path for the 693-tonne vessel to be manoeuvred into its new berth. Separate licensing approval is still needed from the Environment Agency covering the disposal of the extracted silt. While this is not expected to be a problem, it will involve the design of a temporary silt treatment compound at the site.
Historically, dredged river silt was taken into the Humber where it was dumped but recent legislation now requires land-based disposal for contaminated material. Under the plans, water will be drained from the extracted silt and returned to the river. The remaining material will eventually be sent to landfill.
The potentially tricky task of slotting the trawler into the dry dock has been pencilled in for next April because that’s when the next ideal tide for the job is forecast. As the vessel’s engines no longer work, it will have to be towed into place by tugs. Two practice runs using other similar-sized ships are also being planned beforehand to test whether all the calculations and angles required for the last leg of the Corsair’s final journey are correct.
As well as the new gates, the dry dock will also house a series of supporting blocks which the trawler will eventually stand on. Both the gate and the blocks have already been constructed and are currently in storage awaiting installation.
Once safely in the dock, the remaining fit-out works onboard the Corsair will take place. When they are completed, the first visitors are expected to be welcomed in late 2026. As well as the ship, a new visitor centre has been built at the shipyard while three new large concrete support columns at the site await the return of a restored 18-ton Scotch Derrick Crane which once stood next to the dock.
Gillian Osgerby, interim assistant director for major projects and infrastructure at Hull City Council, said: “Water infiltration was a big issue on the vessel when it was previously berthed on the river but that won’t be a problem here. Being berthed in a dry dock will allow people to see the full size of the Corsair for the first time as well as helping conserve it for at least another 100 years. I am confident it is going to be something very special, not just for Hull but the whole region.”