A&P’S DRY DOCK DEMAND REFLECTS STRONG SHIP REPAIR MARKET.

Global ship repair, conversion and marine specialist A&P Group has reported continued demand for its seven dry docks and repair berths over the past 18 months, reflecting the strength of the UK ship repair market.

Teams across all four of A&P’s UK sites have been involved in a number of high-profile projects for vessels in the dredging, ferry, offshore and defence sectors.

In Falmouth, A&P has carried out the fourth special dry-docking survey for Hansom Aggregate Marine’s trailing suction hopper-dredger Arco Beck and is also delivering a major life-extension project for hopper dredger Karissa, soon to be renamed Al Avocet. This includes extensive steel renewals, complete overhaul of the main engine, installation of a new generator, removal of the shaft, overhaul of the propeller hub and accommodation upgrade works, as well as renewal of dredger gears and associated hydraulic equipment upgrades.

Other significant projects in Falmouth include an extensive refit for river-class offshore patrol vessel HMS Severn, which includes a full tail shaft survey and inspection of the anchor, cables and sea valves, as well as the five-year docking and mid-life refit of Torpoint Ferries’ Tamar II. This is the second of three Torpoint Ferries vessels to visit A&P Falmouth as part of a pioneering three-year commercial partnership where A&P carries out pre-planning work and assigns a programme engineer prior to vessel refits.

A&P Falmouth is also delivering a major 250m2 car deck replacement for P&O’s European Seaway in a quick turnaround project. This also called on A&P North East for the fabrication of the 50 tonne car decks using its in-house panel-line and fabrication facility.

In the North East, A&P has delivered the non-routine docking and a special survey docking for Rever Offshore’s diving support vessels Rever Sapphire and Rever Polaris. A&P has also seen heightened interest in its Afloat service, which takes ship repair expertise directly to clients when needed, rather than bringing the vessels to the dock. Work has ranged from small cosmetic repairs to mobilisations in Dublin and the Netherlands, supporting GMS vessels in Blyth, removing bridge decks on three vessels for Caspian Marine Services in Sunderland and carrying our significant temporary repairs to vessels in the Tees following a collision.

David McGinley, Managing Director of Atlantic and Peninsula Marine Services Ltd, said: “ For the last 12 to 18 months our dry docks and repair berths have been in near constant use, which is testament to our client relationships and the confidence and activity we’re seeing across the ship repair market. Continued investment in QHSE and our facilities is paying dividends and clients are calling on the full breadth of our expertise including our on-site design, engineering and fabrication capabilities, to deliver turnkey projects to exacting budgets and time scales.

“It’s also encouraging to see the Afloat service performing well in Great Yarmouth, as it highlights the growing appetite for mobile ship repair services at the customer’s convenience and enables us to expand our services beyond the capacity of our dry-docks.”

A&P Group operates seven dry docks across four strategic locations in the UK and delivers global engineering excellence to the commercial shipping, marine, offshore wind, oil and gas, civil nuclear and defence industries. All facilities combine a rich heritage of marine engineering skills and experience, providing ship owners and energy companies with all the precision skills needed to complete the most demanding projects. A&P Group is part of Atlantic & Peninsula Marine Services Ltd.