Mersey Dredging.

[Jim Brady]

Seaforth docks will benefit from a £35miillion grant which will allow some of the worlds biggest ships in the world through the Mersey by 2015.The project will dredge the channel by 16m to allow some of the worlds largest container ships to visit the new Liverpool 2 development creating some 5.000 jobs in the process.The grant has been awarded to the Mersey Docks & Harbour Company as a contribution towards the cost of dredging the Mersey Estuary at Seaforth.Great news for the port of Liverpool.
Regards.
Jim.B.

[happy daze john in oz]

We had major dredging of Port Phillip bay a few years back. there was one group who did not want it done, said it would spoil the bay. One of the bits to be done was to widen and deepen the heads. This group tried to convince people that by doing so Melbourne would be flooded. They walk amongst us.

[John Pruden]

jim lets hope it will bring work to the local workers and not cheep labour young people around here have no hope of work i had a visiter yesterday he has tried everywere for a job yesterday he was given a chitty for a food bank!!!!! he feels cheated by the government he is a proud lad is this what we are coming to? put local people to work let them spend thier money in liverpool and put us back on the map not money sent to other countries.jp

[Captain Kong]

I bet the Dredging will be done by foreign ships and foreign Seamen, Dutch companies and far east seamen, the construction also by cheap european labour from Poland.

The Merseyside dredging company, Westminster Dredging, that always employed Merseyside Seamen in the dredging of the approaches to Liverpool, has been taken over by Boskalis, a Dutch Company, so NO British or local Merseyside jobs there.
.
A couple of years ago I paid for my step dauighters fella to go to the Heiicopter Survival Course at Fleetwood, he was an unemployed Electrician, no chance of a job. Cost me £600,
He has never stopped working since, He flies out to oil rigs and fixes their electrical problems, last week he was on a BP Rig north of Shetlands for a week, Today he is off to Bonny Island, Nigeria, to work on the Airport there, on their electric landing lights for a few days. home after six days.
So really the only way to get a job today is to pay for it. and work offshore, while the foreigners work in Britain. BUT not a lot of people can afford to do that.
Cheers
Brian.

[happy daze john in oz]

The one used to dredge Port Phillip bay came out from Holland.

[j.sabourn]

Brian, think all the time I worked in the North Sea, never did the HUET course, ( Helicopter Underwater Escape Techniques) but really had no need to as believe only used helicopter transport twice and this was out of the ordinary for seamen. However most offshore seamen did the FRC (Fast Rescue Craft) and Basic sea survival courses. However out here in Australia all offshore workers have to do the HUET course every 2 years ( think it was 4 years in UK). Most seismic ships and others fitted with Heli Decks, do most crew changes at sea. Also most of us had to do the Helicopter Landing officers course. You are not allowed to travel in an offshore helicopter out here unless you have a valid HUET certificate. Cheers John Sabourn PS for those not conversant with the HUET course you have to make ( either 5 or 7) escapes from an underwater helicopter at different angles, usually the last one sitting on your head. JS

[John Pruden]

we have exelent ship building on the mersey build our own and crew by our own seamen. get a grant{well some of our own money back} of the eu to build them? keep it in house.jp

[Tony Wilding]

expect all foreign, Ships, workers, same as the Wind Farms. cant stop them because of EU Regulations. so we are stuffed befor we start.

[Captain Kong]

That is right Tony.
It would be really interesting in finding out the Number of Local Merseyside men who will be employed on the project out of the 5,000 men.
Not a lot.
Cheers
Brian.

[John Pruden]

i can tell you now maybe 1 in 50 local builders and the wages of the 49 best part will not go back in the liverpool or uk economy but remember folks we are all in this together the gangmasters will make a killing with the cheep labour local residents can't afford to live on the cheep labour wages with all the bills and taxes thrown at them?jp