Displaying items by tag: H&W Appledore

14th July 2022

Harland & Wolff's Appledore Shipyard Secures ‘Watershed’ Defence Contract

Harland & Wolff's Appledore Shipyard Secures ‘Watershed’ Defence ContractHarland & Wolff's Appledore shipyard has been awarded a £55m contract to regenerate a former Royal Navy mine-hunting vessel, with the "watershed" agreement set to support 100 jobs at the company's south-west England facility.

On behalf of the Lithuanian Government, the Defence Equipment Sales Authority (DESA) awarded the contract that will see HMS Quorn (see former fleetmate) renovated and restored at the Appledore Shipyard, bolstering NATO maritime capability in Europe.

Supporting ambitions to bolster British shipbuilding, the work will see an influx of contractors for the project across the local and national supply chain.

This includes 14 major subcontract packages in engineering, equipment and integration, along with other refurbishment services.

John Wood, group chief executive of Harland & Wolff, said: "This is a watershed moment. This contract has provided the breakthrough that we needed to activate the fifth and final element of our business strategy – the key market of defence.

More on the contract InsiderMedia has a report.

Published in Shipyards

Tagged under

H&W Appledore

12th February 2021

Harland & Wolff Announces Launch of Apprenticeship Scheme in Belfast & Appledore

Belfast Harbour is where the iconic shipyard of Harland & Wolff, with 160 years of maritime and offshore engineering pedigree, is launching a new apprenticeship scheme. In addition the opportunities will also apply to the H&W Appledore shipyard in Devon which AFLOAT adds built OPV's for the Irish Naval Service including the newest offshore patrol vessel LE Goerge Bernard Shaw.

Harland & Wolff has announced that it will soon be launching a new apprenticeship scheme at the 160 year old historic shipyard that last year notably signed a letter of intent to build ships again.

The scheme is set to officially launch later this year across both the flagship Belfast and the newly acquired Appledore sites, as Afloat reported. The Devon shipyard had up to 2018 built OPV's for the Naval Service.

Apprenticeships offered will be across three distinct functions, Trade, (welders, pipefitters, electricians, riggers, fabricators, etc) Technical, (engineers, naval architecture) and Business Support (sales, administration).

Highlights of the unique training programme will include practical on-the-job training, one to one mentoring alongside its experienced workforce, shipyard training facilities and the opportunity to earn while you learn.

As part of the scheme, apprentices will have the chance to experience working across Harland & Wolff’s five key sectors; cruise & ferries, defence, oil & gas, commercial and renewables, as well as across the full lifecycle of services it offers; technical services, building and fabrication, repair and maintenance, in service support, conversion, and decommissioning.

Prospective apprentices will be able to register their interest on the Harland & Wolff website here.

Harland & Wolff would also like to hear from any relevant apprentices who have been unable to complete their apprenticeship through the recent loss of employment.

Published in Jobs

Tagged under

7th September 2020

H&W Appledore to Host 'Career' Open Days for Prospective Workers At Renamed UK Shipyard

Appledore shipyard in Cornwall, UK is hosting career open days this week, Thursday and Friday. Above Afloat adds is the covered building hall of the shipyard on the banks of the River Torridge where the last ship floated-out was the Irish Naval Service L.E. George Bernard Shaw in March 2018. Late last month, Afloat also adds the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson paid a visit to the newly acquired Harland & Wolff (Appledore) shipyard. At the re-opening of the Cornish shipyard the PM commented that this will be a fantastic opportunity for the entire UK. We must get on and “build, build, build”.

Initial steps to getting local workers back through the gates of Appledore Shipyard in the UK began last week with two careers open days.

New operator Harland & Wolff is hosting to events at the Cornish site for prospective employees on Thursday, September 10 and Friday, September 11.

As NorthDevonGazette reports, the company says they are being held in readiness for ‘highly anticipated new contracts’ and says they will provide the opportunity to meet and speak with existing Harland & Wolff employees who can share their experiences.

The free events will run from 9am on Thursday and 8am on Friday, until 6pm on both days, with one hour time slots that can be booked via the Harland & Wolff website – details below.

The union Unite said it regarded the careers days as the first step in getting shipbuilding restarted as soon as possible at the renamed Harland and Wolff Appledore – but warned that will also need active involvement from the government.

Appledore shipyard was closed in March 2019 by previous owner Babcock after 164 years, with the loss of about 200 jobs.

For more click here in addition for prospective workers you can register here for the Career Open Days.

Afloat adds the shipyard has been renamed H&W Appledore near Bideford from where the last ship built at the south-west England shipyard was ordered by the Irish Government Department of Defence. This led to fourth OPV90 /P60 class L.E. George Bernard Shaw (P54) floated out on the River Torridge.

Published in Shipyards

Tagged under

25th August 2020

Historic UK Shipyard Appledore Acquired by Owners of Harland & Wolff

Appledore Shipyard on the River Torridge in north Devon has been acquired by owners of the Belfast shipyard Harland & Wolff

In the UK the Appledore Shipyard in south-west England which built its last ship for the Irish Naval Service is set to reopen, it has been announced.

The historic shipyard as previously reported, has been acquired by Infrastrata, the owners of Belfast shipyard Harland and Wolff.

The deal will see the shipyard, which was closed by Babcock in March 2019, renamed H&W Appledore.

Infrastrata acquired the Belfast yard in December 2019, and believe the Appledore facility will be the ‘go-to’ yard in the region for small vessel requirements.

It said while each yard will be a standalone business in its own right, Appledore would be ideally placed to handle any extra work from Belfast.

The acquisition only comes with one employee – the site manager – but the company believes the workforce can be ‘very quickly ramped up’ upon the execution of contracts, and said discussions with the Government and private vessels were already under way.

For further reading NorthDevonGazette has more.

Published in Shipyards

Tagged under

Galway Port & Harbour

Galway Bay is a large bay on the west coast of Ireland, between County Galway in the province of Connacht to the north and the Burren in County Clare in the province of Munster to the south. Galway city and port is located on the northeast side of the bay. The bay is about 50 kilometres (31 miles) long and from 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) to 30 kilometres (19 miles) in breadth.

The Aran Islands are to the west across the entrance and there are numerous small islands within the bay.

Galway Port FAQs

How old is Galway port?

Galway was founded in the 13th century by the de Burgo family, and became an important seaport with sailing ships bearing wine imports and exports of fish, hides and wool.

How old is Galway bay?

Not as old as previously thought. Galway bay was once a series of lagoons, known as Loch Lurgan, plied by people in log canoes. Ancient tree stumps exposed by storms in 2010 have been dated back about 7,500 years.

What is the tonnage of the port?

It is about 660,000 tonnes as it is a tidal port.

Who is the harbourmaster of Galway port?

Capt Brian Sheridan, who succeeded his late father, Capt Frank Sheridan

When are the lock gates open?

The dock gates open approximately two hours before high water and close at high water subject to ship movements on each tide.

What's the biggest ship that can 'fit' in the harbour?

The typical ship sizes are in the region of 4,000 to 6,000 tonnes

Is renewable energy generating a lot of business for Galway port?

Turbines for about 14 wind projects have been imported in recent years, but the tonnage of these cargoes is light. A European industry report calculates that each turbine generates €10 million in locally generated revenue during construction and logistics/transport.

Is Galway a European cable location?

Yes, Iceland has selected Galway as European landing location for international telecommunications cables. Farice, a company wholly owned by the Icelandic Government, currently owns and operates two submarine cables linking Iceland to Northern Europe.

What's the update on the Galway port expansion plans?

It is "very much a live project", Harbourmaster Capt Sheridan says, and the Port of Galway board is "awaiting the outcome of a Bord Pleanála determination", he says.

Where does all the scrap go at Galway Port?

90% of the scrap steel is exported to Spain with the balance being shipped to Portugal. Since the pandemic, scrap steel is shipped to the Liverpool where it is either transhipped to larger ships bound for China.

Why is Galway Port exporting silage and the Irish farmers are crying out for it?

It might look like silage, but in fact, its bales domestic and municipal waste, exported to Denmark where the waste is incinerated, and the heat is used in district heating of homes and schools. It is called RDF or Refuse Derived Fuel and has been exported out of Galway since 2013.

When is the new ferry starting service from Galway?

The new ferry is arriving at Galway Bay onboard the cargo ship SVENJA. The vessel is currently on passage to Belem, Brazil before making her way across the Atlantic to Galway.

Is the Volvo Ocean Race coming back to Galway?

Two Volvo round world races have selected Galway for the prestigious yacht race route. Some 10,000 people welcomed the boats in during its first stopover in 2009, when a festival was marked by stunning weather. It was also selected for the race finish in 2012. The Volvo has changed its name and is now known as the "Ocean Race". Capt Sheridan says that once port expansion and the re-urbanisation of the docklands is complete, the port will welcome the "ocean race, Clipper race, Tall Ships race, Small Ships Regatta and maybe the America's Cup right into the city centre...".

When is Seafest coming back to Galway?

The pandemic was the reason why Seafest did not go ahead in Cork in 2020. Galway will welcome Seafest back after it calls to Waterford and Limerick, thus having been to all the Port cities.