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Merseyside Ship Repair Division at Cammell Laird Experiences Significant Growth

18th January 2024
The ship-repair division at Cammell Laird, Birkenhead experienced significant growth towards the end of 2023, up by 50% of same time last year, as more than 11 vessels arrived from new and returning customers. Among the callers was dredger, Freeway which had to temporarily go off service while on Waterford estuary, but returned to successfully complete the work last month.
The ship-repair division at Cammell Laird, Birkenhead experienced significant growth towards the end of 2023, up by 50% of same time last year, as more than 11 vessels arrived from new and returning customers. Among the callers was dredger, Freeway which had to temporarily go off service while on Waterford estuary, but returned to successfully complete the work last month. Credit: Cammell Laird/Flickr

The commercial ship repair division of shipbuilder, Cammell Laird, Birkenhead has experienced significant growth towards the end of 2023, as business was up by 50% when compared from this time last year.

In the last two months alone, the facility on the Wirral Peninsula, welcomed more than 11 vessels for ship repair works – including new and returning customers.

Cammell Laird now operates as part of the wider APCL Group of shipbuilders and shiprepairers - (among them A&P Group) which has helped the movement of vessels across all four facilities.

In addition to the company’s recent shipbuilding contract with Mersey Ferries, Cammell Laird also undertook the Royal Iris of the Mersey's annual maintenance works which included overhaul on both rudders, pulling of both shafts, new seals and steelwork inserts on the hull. 

Other vessels include returning customer Isle of Man Steam Packet Company's Manannan (see latest related story) Boskalis' Deo Gloria, Svitzer Pembroke, Boskalis Freeway (see Waterford dredging story), Svitzer Surrey, the Calmac ferry, the Lord of the Isles and the Vos Patriot.

Mike Hill, Managing Director of Cammell Laird, said: “I am delighted to see our commercial division so busy which is up 50% from this time last year.

"Over the past few months we have seen significant growth and dock utilisation across as well as having multi-ship, multi-year framework agreements in place with several customers."

"It is a fantastic end to 2023 and we look forward to welcoming further vessels in 2024."

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.