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Cammell Laird Secures £2m Dolphin Contract for River Mersey Terminal

28th February 2024
River Mersey: Cammell Laird in Birkenhead secures £2m contract to build mooring dolphins located downriver for Stanlow Terminals
River Mersey: Cammell Laird in Birkenhead secures £2m contract to build mooring dolphins located downriver for Stanlow Terminals Credit: CammellLaird-linkedin

Shipbuilder and shiprepairers, Cammell Laird on Birkenhead has secured a £2m contract to build two mooring dolphins on the River Mersey for Stanlow Terminals.

Stanlow Terminals is a division of Stanlow Oil Refinery operator EET Fuels.

Cammell Laird is set to build two of these Dolphins for Stanlow Terminals and they will weigh 50 tonnes each. A mooring dolphin is a standalone structure that assists on mooring and securing a ship to a terminal or other secure structure via a rope.

In 2022, Cammell Laird successfully fabricated a single mooring dolphin for the terminal – and were subsequently asked to undertake a design study to identify opportunities to reduce fabrication time, weight and costs of the existing dolphins.

These dolphins will form a vital component of the Tranmere mooring configuration and will float at 3 metres in height (2 meters below the water level) and 7.5 meters in width.

They will provide stability for tankers during berthing, allowing them to move seamlessly with the ebb and flow of the tide.

Mike Hill, Managing Director of Cammell Laird, said: “We have developed a good relationship with Stanlow Terminals and we were delighted to have been awarded the contract to build two further dolphins.

“Cammell Laird is strategically located next to the oil terminal and our experienced workforce means we are able to deliver the best quality product for Stanlow. We look forward to working closely with the team in the months ahead.”

Published in Shipyards
Jehan Ashmore

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Jehan Ashmore

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Jehan Ashmore is a marine correspondent, researcher and photographer, specialising in Irish ports, shipping and the ferry sector serving the UK and directly to mainland Europe. Jehan also occasionally writes a column, 'Maritime' Dalkey for the (Dalkey Community Council Newsletter) in addition to contributing to UK marine periodicals. 

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Shipyards

Afloat will be focusing on news and developments of shipyards with newbuilds taking shape on either slipways and building halls.

The common practice of shipbuilding using modular construction, requires several yards make specific block sections that are towed to a single designated yard and joined together to complete the ship before been launched or floated out.

In addition, outfitting quays is where internal work on electrical and passenger facilities is installed (or upgraded if the ship is already in service). This work may involve newbuilds towed to another specialist yard, before the newbuild is completed as a new ship or of the same class, designed from the shipyard 'in-house' or from a naval architect consultancy. Shipyards also carry out repair and maintenance, overhaul, refit, survey, and conversion, for example, the addition or removal of cabins within a superstructure. All this requires ships to enter graving /dry-docks or floating drydocks, to enable access to the entire vessel out of the water.

Asides from shipbuilding, marine engineering projects such as offshore installations take place and others have diversified in the construction of offshore renewable projects, from wind-turbines and related tower structures. When ships are decommissioned and need to be disposed of, some yards have recycling facilities to segregate materials, though other vessels are run ashore, i.e. 'beached' and broken up there on site. The scrapped metal can be sold and made into other items.