A TEES VALLEY engineering firm has been awarded a contract to supply a major new polar research ship.

Tees Components will supply four of its White Gill thrusters to RRS Sir David Attenborough after being contracted by Cammell Laird shipyard in Merseyside, the largest ship repair and conversion specialist in the UK.

The thrusters will enable the polar research vessel to manoeuvre and position extremely accurately even in heavy ice water conditions.

The North Skelton firm will design, manufacturer, build and commission four 60-T3S-QR models of its 360 degrees azimuth thrusters for the vessel, which will be owned by the Natural Environmental Research Council (NERC) and operated by the British Antarctic Survey (BAS).

Adam Robson, lead design engineer, said: “We are delighted to be working with Cammell Laird and their design team, Rolls Royce, on this prestigious project and also to continue our working relationship with NERC.

“The installation of four of our thrusters on this vessel will provide excellent manoeuvrability and station-keeping abilities in the extreme conditions in which this vessel will be operating.”

The NERC and BAS are both long-term users of the Tees White Gill Thruster, with units being installed on RRS Discovery, James Clark Ross and Charles Darwin.

The new £200 million research ship is a government investment to maintain the UK’s position at the forefront of climate and ocean research, and will see ships operating in both Antarctica and the Arctic.

Earlier this year, a public call for suggestions for the name of the vessel resulted in “Boaty McBoatface” coming out on top with more than 124,000 votes, compared to the little over 10,000 people who voted to name it after the legendary broadcaster.

John Drummond, project director of Cammell Laird, said: “Following on from technical compliance meetings and contract negotiations, Cammell Laird are delighted to have awarded a contract to Tees White Gill for the manufacture and supply of 4-off 60TS3S-QR vertical shaft thrusters.

“The thrusters will be integrated into the new build of a polar research vessel, RRS Sir David Attenborough which is being constructed at the Cammell Laird shipyard in Merseyside.”

Tees Components has been operating out of its North Skelton site for more than 50 years, providing heavy engineering subcontract services to a wide range of power generation clients.

The company, a family-owned and managed business, is a well-known local employer of apprentices and won the Teesside Business Award in 2015 for its engineering apprenticeship training programme.