A project to restore a tender ship that ferried first class passengers to the Titanic ahead of its doomed maiden voyage took a major step forward today.

A team of engineers has been appointed to examine how the SS Nomadic can be returned to its former glory.

The 100-year-old vessel is currently in a dry dock in Belfast having been saved from a wreckers' yard in France two years ago.

It was bought by the Nomadic Charitable Trust, which hopes to turn it into a major tourist attraction for the city.

The finished vessel will compliment a £100 million Titanic themed visitor centre planned for the derelict ship yards where the ill-fated White Star Line passenger cruiser was built.

Engineering consultancy firm Frazer-Nash will carry out the Nomadic's conservation management plan to identify how best to restore the ship.

The process is expected to take a minimum of six months at which point the physical restoration will begin.

Stormont Social Development Minister Margaret Ritchie MLA welcomed the announcement.

"This major piece of work will be crucial in advancing the SS Nomadic restoration campaign," she said.

"My department is committed to the development and success of this important heritage project and I look forward to seeing the outcome of the conservation management plan."

Chair of the Nomadic Trust Denis Rooney said: "We've now reached what is arguably the most crucial stage of the project, as the end result will be a clear framework of how Nomadic will be restored.

"The conservation management plan will provide the Trust with recommendations on the future use and development of Nomadic while accounting for the need to enhance, protect and promote the heritage of the vessel and her future as a visitor attraction."