'Clean energy could inspire new generation of seafarers'

The seafaring son of a ship's captain has said North Yorkshire's push to benefit from the switch to clean energy could inspire a new generation of mariners.

Scarborough's Iain Butterworth was speaking at the launch of the North Yorkshire Maritime and Renewable Cluster, a body set up to connect businesses, schools and colleges with offshore energy projects, like the Dogger Bank wind farm.

Last November, a report said Dogger Bank could benefit the UK economy by more than £6bn.

Butterworth said: "We're an island nation. But we don't see ourselves like that in the way we used to. If we get this right, the opportunities are huge for people on North Yorkshire's coast, and across the whole county."

Butterworth first set sail as a three-year-old, on an offshore support vessel his father was captaining and, in adult life, spent 15 years at sea as a marine engineer.

He now works as a shipping lawyer, runs Scarborough-based consultancy Butterworth Marine, and is a former chair of the Humber Marine and Renewables Cluster, a group with similar aims to the new group in North Yorkshire.

He said: "The opportunities in North Yorkshire are limitless.

"It depends upon how businesses and education grasp them.

"Humber Marine and Renewables started life as a few like-minded individuals, and that cluster has gone on to grow to a few hundred members.

"In that time there have been maritime opportunities, offshore renewables, offshore wind and gas, and huge inward investment from some of the world's biggest companies as well as companies native to the region.

"It has all paid divided in huge growth and it can be repeated in North Yorkshire."

Butterworth said the UK "can't forget" about the maritime industry because, as an island nation, it depends on shipping for its goods.

"We need crew for ships, owners to manage them, all the support services," he said.

"If nobody understands, from primary school age, that there is a pathway into the industry then we haven't got a hope.

"That's one of the areas the cluster can make a real difference."

The cluster is backed by funding from North Yorkshire Council, with a view to becoming self-funded through members' subscriptions once fully established.

Carl Les, North Yorkshire Council's Conservative leader, said there were a "number" of industries where the average age of the workforce was growing each year because of a lack of entrants, "especially young people".

"Anything we can do to attract new entrants and offer job opportunities to young people by making them more aware of those opportunities is a good thing," Les said.

"If this is one of the things that the cluster intends to do, I'm very supportive."

Richard Askham, the cluster's project leader, said the east coast has "everything it needs" to benefit from "supply chain opportunities" offered by Dogger Bank.

He said: "The Humber has had its opportunities for the last 10 to 15 years.

"North Yorkshire's are about to start.

"Day one is Dogger Bank launching and coming on stream, so let's get ready and make the most of it."

Askham said the cluster was involved with work to bring a boat hoist to Scarborough's West Pier, which currently does not have the capacity for large vessels servicing wind farms.

There have been repeated calls from some of the town's business leaders for a hoist to be added to multimillion-pound plans to regenerate the pier.

Robin Gray, chairman of the Scarborough Harbour Advisory Board, said a boat lift and marina expansion project in the town could generate more than £1.4m annually.

Askham said: "The inquiries and expressions of interest to use Scarborough Harbour from the crew transfer vessel companies require a hoist, so that has given a reason to invest in it.

"Businesses the world over recognise that you need to have a reason to spend money.

"Fortunately, as a cluster, we have been able to bring some of those reasons in front of North Yorkshire Council.

"They are now looking at bringing forward the investment to bring that boat hoist to Scarborough Harbour."

Les said there had been a demand for a boat hoist "for some time," which means, together with a commitment from the elected mayor's combined authority, the council had a "notional budget in mind".

"There is debate about what size and capacity the hoist should be, but we have made a space provision in our redevelopment plans for West Pier to accommodate a hoist," he said.

"However, because of the poor maintenance of the pier over previous years there are major construction works needed to repair the walls before a hoist could operate safely."

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