A NORTH-EAST design firm has won a contract to work on the conversion and upgrade of a diamond mining ship.

Armstrong Technology has been awarded the third and final phase of a contract on the De Beers vessel, which will help safeguard the 27 jobs at the North Shields firm.

Armstrong Technology has already been working on the contract for a year, starting last summer with a feasibility study to assess the viability of the conversion, phase one of the contract.

De Beers approached Armstrong because it needed a design company with experience of conversion design to develop the ship modifications required to accept a new diamond drilling system - the machine which collects diamonds from the seabed.

While developing the basic design and obtaining Classification Society approval during phase two, Armstrong also organised model tests to confirm its predictions of vessel motions and carried out pre-qualification of shipyards to identify those with the experience and capability to undertake the conversion.

In August, the order for the conversion was placed with A&P Tyne, which will carry out the work at its Hebburn yard. It involves the vessel being cut in two and a new mid-section inserted to accept the mining equipment.

Armstrong is now working intensively to turn work already completed into detailed design drawings.

Although this design work will be largely finished by Christmas, the company will continue to provide technical support for the conversion until the project ends next summer.

Dennis Maccoy, operations manager of Armstrong Technology, said: "The fact that De Beers also chose a Tyneside facility to undertake the conversion demonstrates once again the capability that exists in our region where ship design and shipbuilding are a part of our heritage.