Cammell Laird Latest News

Merseyside shipyard and engineering business Cammell Laird restated its ‘driving ambition’ last night to grow across all its sectors of marine, renewables and civil nuclear in the second half of 2012, following a strong first six months of trading.

The world famous Birkenhead based company said it had undertaken more than 180 marine contracts for commercial clients and the Ministry of Defence between January and June 2012. The work employed more than 800 workers directly, including more than 80 apprentices, and a further 700 subcontractors. In total Cammell Laird introduced 200 additional workers over its core number to support the business in this extremely busy period.

Cammell Laird Managing Director Linton Roberts said to date 2012 had seen the company consolidate its position in the marine sector completing contracts for more 40 clients. He said the work mainly focused on drydocking, repairs and maintenance. The vessels worked on included ferries, tugs, off shore support ships and tankers.

Mr Roberts said the company also completed extensive work in the first half of 2012 for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) as part of its 25-year through life support contract to maintain 11 ships in the fleet. The work includes four extensive refits in Birkenhead on the RFA Wave Knight, RFA Black Rover, RFA Diligence and RFA Fort Austin. All are due to complete by the autumn. The company has further undertaken work for the RFA at shipyards around the UK and the world as part of the global reach element of the contract. This includes Assisted Maintenance Periods (AMPs) in Simonstown South Africa, Charleston, South Carolina in the United States and Port Rashid in the United Arab Emirates. In total the RFA contract has employed more than 500 workers in 2012.

Mr Roberts also pointed to substantial progress on its contract to build the flight decks for the new HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier. In May five modules weighing more than 3500 tonnes were dispatched by ocean going barge to the Rosyth Dockyard in Scotland. The final modules in the contract are due to be completed in the autumn. The carrier project has employed 260 workers plus sub contractors in 2012.

Cammell Laird Chief Executive John Syvret said the contracts demonstrate Cammell Laird is one of Europe’s leading shipyards for commercial and MOD ship refit, repair and construction work.

“We have worked hard to build a formidable workforce with extensive experience and expertise for shipyard and engineering work,” he said. “That workforce enables us to undertake complex and demanding projects - as these contracts demonstrate. The second half of 2012 will see the business continue to perform robustly with a steady flow of marine and engineering work. This includes undertaking a ship conversion for the Orkney Islands Council ferry the MV Hoy Head and we have agreed a contract to build two new vessels for Western Ferries. We are further actively looking to win new business and are keen to welcome potential customers to our site in Birkenhead to see our world class facilities and meet our management team and workforce.”

Mr Syvret said a prime objective for 2012 and beyond is to grow the business’ work in the off shore renewables and civil nuclear sectors.

“We have made progress this year in preparing the yard’s infrastructure to support our contract with RWE to service the construction of the Gwynt y Mor off shore windfarm,” he said. “This is our first significant contract in the off shore wind industry which holds considerable potential for us given our skill set, facilities and geographical position. The civil nuclear sector is also massive for us and we believe our partnership with Nuvia and Ansaldo Nucleare thrusts us right to the forefront of the multi billion pound new build programme. As a partnership we can provide the complete nuclear new build engineering solution.”

Huge flight decks for HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH, the first of the Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers being built for the UK Royal Navy, will leave resurgent Merseyside engineering firm Cammell Laird today (MONDAY MAY 28) to embark on a five day journey to the east coast of Scotland.

Cammell Laird Chief Executive John Syvret CBE said the company is immensely proud to be delivering the first phase of the £44m two year project on time.

“This is a terrific contract for the company to work on and I pay tribute to our staff and suppliers who are working enormously hard with the Aircraft Carrier Alliance to deliver these magnificent flight decks,” he said. “It showcases our world class engineering facilities including our construction hall which is one of the biggest and best equipped in Europe. It further shows the depth of our workforce’s skills and expertise. Moreover, it has given our 80 strong team of apprentices invaluable experience. As our future workforce it is vital we continue to invest in young people giving them the skills our industry, and our region, needs to drive long term economic growth. Importantly the contract has also enabled us to invest heavily in our supply chain improving their ability to support our growth.”

Cammell Laird managing director Linton Roberts said:

“The successful delivery of the first phase of the contract will help reinforce our campaign to promote the Cammell Laird brand worldwide. We are actively looking to win more marine work including ship repair, conversion, refit and ship building. We are further looking to secure more heavy fabrication work in the civil nuclear, off shore renewables and engineering markets.”

A large ocean-going barge will carry the flight deck modules, which weigh more than 3,500 tonnes, known as Centre Blocks 02 (CB02), from Cammell Laird to Rosyth where the aircraft carrier will be assembled. In total five UK shipyards are involved in building the ship. Cammell Laird is due to complete the construction of further modules which will be sailed to Rosyth later in the year.

Cammell Laird has spent the last fortnight preparing the flight decks for their sail away. Over the coming days, the enormous structures will travel up the coast of Britain before arriving into Rosyth. On arrival, CB02, will be prepared for integration with the other sections of HMS Queen Elizabeth already at the Rosyth assembly site.

The aircraft carriers HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH and HMS PRINCE OF WALES are being delivered by the Aircraft Carrier Alliance, a unique partnering relationship between BAE Systems, Thales UK, Babcock and the UK Ministry of Defence. BAE Systems has an overarching role in managing the QE Class programme, as well as playing a central role in the design and build of the ships.

The QE Class will be the centre piece of Britain’s military capability. Each 65,000 tonne aircraft carrier will provide the armed forces with a four acre military operating base which can be deployed worldwide. The vessels will be versatile enough to be used for operations ranging from supporting war efforts to providing humanitarian aid and disaster relief.

Gordon Ross, Managing Director of Western Ferries, today (MAY 2) announced that Western Ferries have appointed resurgent Merseyside shipyard and engineering firm Cammell Laird as its preferred bidder in a multi million pound contract to build two new vessels for the Gourock to Dunoon route.

Mr Ross said it is hoped that construction will begin in June this year with both vessels due to be delivered during the Summer, 2013. The new vessels represent the next stage in Western Ferries’ overall strategic plan to significantly improve its existing ferry service between Dunoon and Gourock which links the West Coast of Scotland to the Central Belt. The new vessels therefore represent a significant investment for Western Ferries, its employees, our customers and the local community. The new vessels will provide improved passenger accommodation and facilities for customers. They will be faster and larger than the vessels they are replacing, capacity will increase by 20% to facilitate the expected growth in carryings in the future. They will also be substantially more environmentally friendly and fuel efficient than the existing vessels therefore helping to reduce the Company’s emissions and exposure to rising fuel costs. Minimising fuel costs will also benefit our customers in the longer term as it helps to reduce inflationary pressures on future fare increases.

Commenting on this announcement, Gordon Ross said: “Western Ferries is delighted to appoint Cammell Laird as the preferred bidder to build two new ferries for its Gourock to Dunoon service. Not only was Cammell Laird’s bid the most commercially competitive, it also provided for the earliest delivery of the vessels which was a crucial factor for the Company and the local community. Despite strong international interest, Western Ferries is also very pleased that these new vessels, along with the new vessels introduced in 2001 and 2003, will be fully built in the UK.”

Linton Roberts, Managing Director of Cammell Laird said: “Cammell Laird is extremely pleased to be appointed as preferred bidder for this project and looks forward to working with the Western Ferries team over the coming months to deliver these very important new vessels.”

The vessels will be given yard hull numbers 1387 and 1388, indicating the strong tradition of shipbuilding at Cammell Laird to which they will be a worthy addition.

John Syvret CBE, Chief Executive Officer of Cammell Laird said: “This project is a welcome addition to the already diverse range of offshore, commercial and military projects underway within the yard, and will compliment the successful module construction work we have been undertaking in support of the Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers.”

The awarding of this project demonstrates Cammell Laird’s commitment to the continued growth of the business in all markets.

Cammell Laird shipyard will be drawing on its ship repairing heritage when it undertakes the dry docking later this month of one of Britain’s finest modern built tall ships.

The spectacular Stavros S Niarchos is the flagship vessel of the Tall Ship Youth Trust. The 200ft brig is arriving in Merseyside this week for drydocking after undertaking a series of open days and day sails for the public. The day sails will take place between April 24 to 29 and will leave from the Liverpool Cruise Terminal.

Cammell Laird chief executive, John Syvret, said the company is delighted to support the work of such a worthwhile maritime youth charity.

“Cammell Laird is committed to supporting youth work in the community,” he said. “The Tall Ships Youth Trust does a huge amount of good work and we look forward to welcoming the Stavros to Birkenhead and undertaking the dry docking and repairs.”

To find out more or book a place, call the Tall Ships Adventures Reservations Team on 023 9283 2055 or visit www.tallships.org

RWE npower renewables (RWE NRL) today announces a multi-million pound contract with Birkenhead-based engineering firm Cammell Laird to support the construction of Gwynt y Môr, one of the largest offshore wind farms in construction in Europe.

The contract will be Cammell Laird’s first major deal in the rapidly expanding offshore wind industry. The contract will see investment ploughed into new infrastructure at Cammell Laird’s River Mersey base, where the company is growing a centre of global engineering excellence, serving the offshore renewables, civil nuclear, engineering and maritime sectors.

In addition to the three-year contract, worth in excess of £5million, RWE NRL and Cammell Laird have also signed an engineering services agreement, enabling the renewables company to use the wealth of engineering and technical support offered by Cammell Laird to assist with the project. The relationship with Cammell Laird is expected to lead to a significant amount of work for the company with over a million pound of steel fabrication work committed already.

RWE npower renewables’ Gwynt y Môr project director Toby Edmonds said: “We are delighted to be able to able to work for the first time with Cammell Laird, a very capable and experienced shipbuilder, port operator and engineering partner.

“Gwynt y Môr is the largest offshore wind farm we have ever built, and due to the size of the undertaking our best approach is to establish key relationships with partners who are able to help us deliver the project. With Cammell Laird on board, we have a strong construction operation now in place, and look forward to starting offshore works.”

Cammell Laird chief executive John Syvret added: “This is an immensely important contract for the company to sign. It catapults us further into the offshore renewables market and showcases the breadth of skills and expertise we have to offer to the broader engineering market, as well as the maritime sector.

“The UK economy needs a dynamic, skilled engineering sector to drive future growth and this contract shows what can be achieved on Merseyside. Cammell Laird.is hugely excited by the prospect of building a long and lasting relationship with RWE npower renewables, which has such an impressive track record in the offshore marine energy sector.”

The contract is to provide port and quayside facilities for RWE to load and fit out the foundations for the offshore wind turbines. At 50-70 metres long, up to six metres in diameter - about the same as an Airbus A380 passenger jet - and weighing up to 700 tonnes, these are some of the largest steel monopiles ever used in the construction of a wind farm, anywhere in the world.

RWE npower renewables’ specially commissioned £100 million Seabreeze construction vessels – among the most modern and versatile vessels built to date - will operate out of Cammell Laird‘s Birkenhead facility to undertake foundation installation.

Once the construction work is completed in 2014 the operations base will take over at Port of Mostyn, in Flintshire, Wales.

This contract will enable significant investment in portside facilities, securing existing and generating new, skilled and long term local jobs.

At 576MW, Gwynt y Môr will be one of the largest offshore wind farms currently in construction in Europe, and is being built by RWE npower renewables. The project is a shared investment between partners RWE Innogy, Stadtwerke München GmbH and Siemens(2). Once fully operational, energy generation from Gwynt y Môr is expected to be equivalent to the average annual needs of around 400,000 homes(3).

Gwynt y Môr Offshore Wind Farm is being constructed 13 kilometres off the North Wales coast, in water depths of 12-28 metres, and was granted approval by DECC (Department of Energy and Climate Change) back in December 2008.

Construction of the €2billion Gwynt y Môr project began in November 2009 when work to prepare land at St Asaph for the construction of a new 132/400kV substation was carried out by North Wales civil engineering company Jones Bros. Onshore cable installation work is being carried out by Wrexham firm Prysmian, and is now well underway, while construction of the substation is being carried out by Siemens and National Grid, and is also well advanced.

Foundation installation will take approximately two years and is expected to be finished by 2014. First generation is expected in 2013 and it is anticipated that the wind farm will become fully operational towards the end of 2014.

Ian Pollitt Development Surveyor for Peel Holding Limited said: “Since Peel acquired the site we have been working closely with Cammell Laird , Peel Ports, The Mersey Partnership and Wirral Borough Council to bring new business to the Cammell Laird shipyard. The deal with RWE npower renewables is a fantastic boost for the Wirral and puts the site in a very strong position for the rapidly expanding West coast UK offshore renewables market. For the first time in nearly 20 years, the Cammell Laird site will be fully occupied and with the diversity of uses , the future is looking very exciting.”

Cllr Steve Foulkes, Leader of Wirral Council said: “The signing of this landmark contract represents an exciting step forward in Wirral’s ambitions to become a global leader in the offshore wind industry. Cammell Laird is uniquely placed to offer landmass, skilled workforce, port and harbour facilities and an established supply chain and by working with RWE npower renewables, the UK’s leading renewable energy developers and operators, Cammell Laird and Wirral are well positioned to grab a substantial piece of what is predicted to become a £75bn industry employing 70,000 people by 2020.”

Jim Wilkie, Chief Executive of Wirral Council said: “Offshore renewable energy is a rapidly growing multi billion pound global industry and we are uniquely placed in Wirral because of our geography and existing skills to become an ideal base for these industries to flourish. Cammell Laird has long been an important employer in Wirral and I am pleased that the yard is continuing to evolve and diversify so that it remains at the forefront of engineering in the Northwest for many years to come.”

The Mersey Partnership Chief Executive Lorraine Rogers said: “This is a significant development for Cammell Laird and the Liverpool City Region’s low carbon economy.

“Two years ago we weren’t on the official DECC map in terms of west coast UK offshore wind supply chain developments. TMP has been working with Cammell Laird and other partners to identify our assets and promote them extensively across this growing sector.

To have RWE npower renewables, one of the industry’s biggest players, investing here is an endorsement of the benefits on offer to the offshore wind sector and positions the City Region well to seek further investment from the massive planned offshore developments in the Irish Sea.”

“This investment signifies the City Region’s potential in a key market for the UK economy.”

Birkenhead MP Frank Field said: “This is great news for Birkenhead, great news for those people looking for work, and great news for confidence in Cammell Laird.”

Tall ship Zebu had a major overhaul at Cammell Laird, proving the shipyard’s ability to handle any ship. The 120-gross ton wooden brigantine, built in Sweden in 1938, was dry-docked in Birkenhead for hull repairs. Zebu, owned by Mersey Heritage Trust, is based at Albert Dock, Liverpool.

“Cammell Laird shipyard is a reservoir of fantastic traditional skills,” said the trust’s Susan Hanley-Place.

John Syvret, Cammell Laird chief executive, said: “We’re proud to retain a broad range of abilities.”