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Displaying items by tag: Supporting Shipbuilding

The Harland & Wolff Group which has shipyards on both sides of Irish Sea has welcomed the UK Government's announcement to launch the Shipbuilding Credit Guarantee Scheme (SCGS).

The scheme is designed to help buyers access finance to buy UK-built vessels and upgrade existing ships, with the government acting as guarantor for lenders.

The UK Department for Business and Trade claimed the scheme would create hundreds of jobs and contribute millions of pounds to the British economy based on the demand for commercial shipbuilding.

The scheme forms part of the Government’s £4 billion plan to support UK shipbuilding through the National Shipbuilding Strategy Refresh announced last year.

Welcoming the launch, John Wood, Harland & Wolff CEO, said: “We’re delighted to welcome the launch of the Shipbuilding Credit Guarantee Scheme. “The scheme will help UK shipbuilders to compete, win orders, and create new high-quality jobs across the country. We look forward to using the scheme as both a customer and builder.

“It’s a core deliverable from the National Shipbuilding Strategy, and we are committed to working with colleagues in government and across industry to accelerate its delivery so we can realise the objective of a competitive, innovative, and sustainable shipbuilding enterprise.”

Shipbuilding Tsar and Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, said: “As I set out in the National Shipbuilding Strategy Refresh, this scheme will help build confidence in UK shipyards, allowing them to invest in the people and the technology to drive productivity forward in this vital sector of the UK economy.

“Shipbuilding is hugely important to the UK, supporting 42,600 jobs nationwide and adding £2.4 billion to the economy every single year.
A strong domestic sector helps to support the wider economy’s export ambitions, with 95 percent of UK trade moved by sea".

Minister for Industry and Economic Security Nusrat Ghani, said: “Shipbuilding is an integral part of the UK’s industrial identity and through this scheme we are backing our great maritime businesses to get ahead of the competition.

“With cutting-edge vessels designed and built here in the UK this will be a boost to high-skilled careers and every company involved in the supply chain for shipbuilding, helping us to grow the economy.”

Published in Shipyards

Whether you're a boat enthusiast, historian, archaeologist, fisherman, or just taken by the natural beauty of Ireland's waterways, you will find something of interest in our Inland pages on Afloat.ie.

Inland Waterways

Ireland is lucky to have a wealth of river systems and canals crossing the country that, while once vital for transporting goods, are today equally as important for angling, recreational boating and of course tourism.

From the Barrow Navigation to the Erne System, the Grand Canal, the Lower Bann, the Royal Canal, the Shannon-Erne Waterway and the Shannon Navigation, these inland waterways are popular year in, year out for anyone with an interest in rambling; flora and fauna; fishing; sailing; motorboating; canoeing, kayaking and waterskiing; and cruising on narrowboats.

Although most will surely identify Ireland's inland waterways with boating holidays and a peaceful afternoon's angling, many varieties of watersport are increasingly favoured activities. Powerboat and Jetski courses abound, as do opportunities for waterskiing or wakeboarding. For those who don't require engine power, there's canoeing and kayaking, as Ireland's waterways have much to offer both recreational paddlers and those looking for more of a challenge. And when it comes to more sedate activities, there's nothing like going for a walk along a canal or river bank following some of the long-distance Waymarked Ways or Slí na Sláinte paths that criss-cross the country.

Ireland's network of rivers, lakes and canals is maintained by Waterways Ireland, which is one of the six North/South Implementation Bodies established under the British-Irish Agreement in 1999. The body has responsibility for the management, maintenance, development and restoration of inland navigable waterways on the island of Ireland, principally for recreational purposes. It also maintains Ireland's loughs, lakes and channels which are sought after for sailing; the network of canal locks and tow paths; as well as any buoys, bridges and harbours along the routes.

Along the Grand and Royal Canals and sections of the Barrow Navigation and the Shannon-Erne Waterway, Waterways Ireland is also responsible for angling activities, and charges Inland Fisheries Ireland with carrying out fisheries development, weed management and ensuring water quality.

Brian Goggin's Inland Blog

Giving his personal perspective on Ireland's Inland Waterways from present-day activities to their rich heritage, Brian Goggin tells it like it is with his Inland Blog.

From recognising achievements in management of the waterways to his worries on the costs of getting afloat on Ireland's canals, Goggin always has something important to say.

He also maintains the website Irish Waterways History that serves as a repository for a wealth of historical accounts of the past commercial and social uses alike of Ireland's rivers and canals, which were once the lifeblood of many a rural community.