Hull: Yorkshire’s Maritime City (HYMC)

Hull is a renowned historic sea and fishing port. The HYMC project is aiming to develop a sense of place and identity by celebrating this nautical history and preserving the city’s maritime assets and collections. 

The project is currently redeveloping five attractions:

• transforming the Grade II* listed Maritime Museum with a new exhibition scheme
   
• turning the derelict North End Shipyard into a visitor orientation centre
   
• creating a maritime collections store – to conserve, catalogue and manage artefacts for staff and researchers – at the Dock Office Chambers building, which dates back to the 1890s
   
• Conserving two historic vessels: the Arctic Corsair and the Spurn Lightship. The ships will be fully restored, creating access for disabled visitors, and fitted with AV projections, oral history recordings and immersive sets.

Councillor Daren Hale, Leader of Hull City Council, said: “There have been some key milestones within the last 12 months, especially moving two ships to a local shipyard for restoration.”

There will also be a wide range of volunteer, training and skill-building opportunities for young and unemployed people. The first cohort of a Maritime Training programme has been completed, with half of the students securing full-time employment within two weeks. 

The full visitor experience is expected to be completed by 2024.