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3rd September 2020, 08:16 PM
#1
British Ship Repairing
British Ship repairing is on the up. BAE have just announced four year deal with Serco to drydock and up grade 15 ferries.
H&W Belfast is busy, a Canadian ferry has arrived for upgrade and maintenance.
The I. O. M. Ferry Ben my Chere had to be turned away from Belfast for a Southern Port. The ferry collided with a harbour entrance resulting in a bent propellor blade.
Seems all DD on the west coast are fully booked apart from Inchgreen DD, which is owned by Peel Ports. P. P. seem to be happy to let this facility rot.
Good news for a change.
Vic
Last edited by vic mcclymont; 3rd September 2020 at 08:30 PM.
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11th September 2020, 08:33 AM
#2
Re: British Ship Repairing
It is indeed good news that ship repairing is starting to "flutter" in the U.K. again but it's not so long ago, 1970 to be precise that The River Tyne with more than 20 Dry Docks was the biggest ship repair centre in the world employing more than 10,000 people. If Smith's Docks had less than 6 ships in for repair then things were quiet and the number of B.P. Tankers that were constantly being docked and repaired on the Tyne warranted a permanent Superintendent's presence. The majority of the dry docks including five at Smith's Docks, four at Swan Hunters, four at The Mercantile Dry Docks and two at Brigham an Cowans have been filled in with four at a the Middle Docks lying derilict. The only remaining Working dry dock on the Tyne is A&P's large dry dock at Jarrow which seemingly seems to be just "ticking over"
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12th September 2020, 05:16 AM
#3
Re: British Ship Repairing
Here in Williams town, Suburb of Melbourne, we have a very large BAE site.
It was until about four years ago still making ships.
But no more, the offices are still manned and busy but no ship building taking palce.
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Happy daze John in Oz.
Life is too short to blend in.
John Strange R737787
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6th November 2020, 09:24 PM
#4
Re: British Ship Repairing
Various companies have tried to make a go of the dry docks in Swansea with varying levels of success. The latest is Arklow Shipping, an Irish company with 60 of its own ships which used to have a ship repair yard in Dublin, until they had to move out due to re-development. Since taking over they have usually docked their own vessels but take others in between.
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7th November 2020, 12:22 AM
#5
Re: British Ship Repairing
Australia you would think would have a big ship building enterprise with all the iron ore practically jumping on the trains, in the 50s they did, building the Iron boats for BHP, then came the Asians with their big shipping, all using Australian steel. Our shipping industry collapsed. We now even have our Sydney ferries built in Korea, cheaper, I hear some say, yes, only that; when they came over they found that any passengers standing on the top deck would be beheaded going under the bridges up the Parramatta river, renovations cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Des
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Lest We Forget
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7th November 2020, 12:48 AM
#6
Re: British Ship Repairing
Des , While I am all for private enterprise , I am not all for it when it comes with a price. Private Enterprise comes only about when the Credit side of the Ledger is far in excess of the Debit side. When I see companys folding up and selling out to foreign investments due to either mismanagement or cheaper labour costs, then they are not in business for the National benefit. In which case they should be nationalized , much as people have been brainwashed to believe it is unworkable. How do they think other countrys are succeeding. I to think that by now Australia should be self supporting and making all its goods for national use, and not dependant on the likes of China for its clothes and such like , which one must admit are not of the best calibre. Successive governments out here must have been blind like the UK , the UK being the worse of the two as had and gave away. Australia has held back going the full way and doing the hard yards, they should by now be able to say to China stick your shoddy goods we have a much better product of our own. To have to be dependant on a communist country is a disgrace in itself, and just shows the incompetency of past governments which will obviously carry on in the same vein. Cheers JS
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7th November 2020, 05:04 AM
#7
Re: British Ship Repairing
While I agree that Oz should make more of the things it needs rather than import there is one problem.
Wages here in Oz.
Yes we can make the things we need but as a result of wages costs the price would be so high no one could afford them.
We have become reliant on cheap imports ad like the very low prices.
For the overall national economy it is better for us to import and sell the raw materials than use them here.
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Happy daze John in Oz.
Life is too short to blend in.
John Strange R737787
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7th November 2020, 05:07 AM
#8
Re: British Ship Repairing
Indeed correct John
With the rate the Wages are here now days, it would be astronomical costs to build Ships no matter what.
I doubt very much if there would be any call for Ships built here, only possibly small craft for the Rich and Famous!
Cheers
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7th November 2020, 07:09 AM
#9
Re: British Ship Repairing
If you have the right product in Oz you can make a go of it like Incat in Hobart and Austal in WA. Great products at a competitive price. Ask the US Navy.
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7th November 2020, 09:22 AM
#10
Re: British Ship Repairing
Australia (it is reported) is entering strange times with China, as China is refusing to buy any more iron ore from Australia until Oz apologizes for some derogatory political remarks about China's interference in Australian affairs and Australia's refusal to accept Huawaeii 5G because of its (Alleged) spying inferences (as has the USA and UK). As iron ore is oz's biggest export and China it's biggest customer for it then there may be no money in the kitty to purchase Chinese goods. Luckily for John Oz will be able to produce enough home grown shorts and T-shirts for his needs, but screw caps for the hats will replace the corks they got from Portugal
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