Cammell Laird wins multi-million pound ship conversion contract

Jan 13 2010 by Lorna Hughes, Birkenhead News

BIRKENHEAD shipyard Cammell Laird has secured a multi-million pound order to lengthen a Norwegian cable-laying vessel.

The Nexans Skagerrak will arrive in the Mersey later this month, when work will begin on a 13-week process to insert a 12.5 metre section, currently under construction in the yard’s shipbuilding hall, into the existing hull framework.

The extension will provide new accommodation facilities, a new working deck and cable handling equipment, enabling the vessel, which belongs to Nexans AS, part of the French-based cable giant Nexans Group, to offer extended cable laying.

Cammell Laird managing director Linton Roberts said: “We have already successfully completed significant pre-fabrication and engineering work in advance of the vessel’s arrival.”

The yard directly employs almost 700 staff and provides work for a similar number of sub-contractors.

Chief executive John Syvret said about 200 Laird staff and 100 sub- contractors from the existing workforce will be involved in the conversion, which he described as a “massive win” for the yard to showcase its skills and facilities to the important international conversion market.

He said: “We have a clear aim to catapult the business forward into the global marine market.

“We are well known for our work with the Ministry of Defence. However, we also undertake extensive work in the commercial market and a key target for us has always been the international ship conversion industry.