CAMMELL LAIRD – the once great name in Merseyside shipbuilding is undergoing a renaissance and now has ambitions in the marine renewables and civil nuclear sectors as well as more traditional areas.      The Birkenhead based company has more than 800 workers, including more than 80 apprentices, and a further 700 subcontractors.   The current workload is mainly focused on drydocking, repairs and maintenance on ferries, tugs, offshore support ships and tankers.    A ship conversion contract for the Orkney Islands Council ferry the HOY HEAD and a contract to build two (2) new Clyde ferries for Western Ferries is part of the future.   In the windfarm sector progress in preparing the yard’s infrastructure to support a contract with RWE to service the construction of the Gwynt y Mor offshore windfarm is underway.     In the civil nuclear sector there is a partnership with Nuvia and Ansaldo Nucleare means they are well positioned to secure a complete nuclear new build engineering solution should new nuclear power stations become reality.

Cammell Laird have been involved in the Aircraft Carrier building programme building the flight deck for the QUEEN ELIZABETH - in May (2012) five (5) modules weighing more than 3,500 tonnes were dispatched by ocean going barge to the Rosyth Dockyard with the final modules in the contract are due to be completed in the autumn.      Cammell Laird of course is a key contractor the MoD for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary as part of its 25 year through life support contract to maintain eleven (11) ships in the fleet. The work currently includes four (4) extensive refits in Birkenhead for the:-

            Fleet Tanker:                  RFA WAVE KNIGHT     

            Support Tanker:              RFA BLACK ROVER

            Forward Repair Ship:       RFA DILIGENCE

            Stores Ship:                   RFA FORT AUSTIN

with all due to complete by the autumn.     As part of the through life support contract Cammell Laird undertakes work for the RFA at shipyards around the UK and overseas as part of the “global reach element” of the contract.     This has included Assisted Maintenance Periods at Simonstown (South Africa), Charleston (South Carolina) and Port Rashid (UAE).