Fred Olsen

[vic mcclymont]

Fred Olsen cruise ship the BOREALIS is to undergo a multi-million refit and upgrade at Cammell Laird facilities on the Mersey.
Good news, hope it goes well.
Vic

[happy daze john in oz]

Great news for the ship yard workers.
The way things are in UK just now it will need all the help it can get to get back on track.

[cappy]

great news for the ship yard workers.
The way things are in uk just now it will need all the help it can get to get back on track.

aye a dead camell comes to mind .....lazarus did it .......r683532

[Doc Vernon]

Cammell Laird , looks like resurecting by the Post put on earlier cappy!
Cheers

[Fouro]

aye a dead camell comes to mind .....lazarus did it .......r683532

Let's hope this Cammell doesn't get 'laird' to rest for a long time yet.

Regards from
Fouro.

[happy daze john in oz]

If new ships are needed, and that will always be the case.
Then for a British ship building yard to be re-established ia a good thing.
There was a time when British ship building was the very best.

[Colin Wood]

Yes, one of the industries sacrificed when UK joined EU

[Tony Taylor]

Yes, one of the industries sacrificed when UK joined EU

along with many manufacturing industries

[j.sabourn]

If Britain was ever to go. Back to British Shipping flying the British Flag is very debatable. If ever a British Merchant Navy is envisaged I would say the only way that is going to happen is by nationalising the industry and bringing it Under the umbrella of being the fourth of the armed services , similar to the RFA . It may be a costly exercise but who knows , at least the UK would have a fleet of merchant ships able to compete in a hostile world. Shipping is essential to any island country. You have people sitting in government sitting.displaying costly degrees, thick as rwo short planks who can’t see the wood for the trees . JS .

[Ivan Cloherty]

Yes, one of the industries sacrificed when UK joined EU

Alas the decline of both the MN and shipbuilding were in decline long before we became a member of the EU. I believe it was Harold Wilson who was a signatory to the Kenya Agreement (KA) where-in in their wisdom, leaders of many countries decided that developing countries (DC's)should have their own Merchant Navies. European shipowners were encouraged to sell their old vessels to the 'Developing World' at scrap prices and owners would be compensated on new buildings with subsidies.

Great idea, except as the DC's gained vessels they imposed their own rules, all exports should be carried on their own flagged vessels the freight paid in US$, all imports where ever possible should be carried on their own vessels payable in local currency, and if not possible, then on non-conference vessels to save Foreign exchange

Sounds great in theory, which was the only country to abide by the KA, well the UK of course, which country was the first to withdraw shipbuilding subsidies, well the UK of course, Spain continued to subsidise its builders with 30%. France 15-20%, Germany said 0%, but leaked documents showed 15%.

But let's not forget our own suicidal tendencies with our yards sticking resolutely to old demarcation rules, where-in the advent of introducing welding was fiercely resisted, so where did owners go - Korea, where they could get a ship delivered in 9 months as opposed to 18 months in the UK.

Ship repairs, I was a Mar Supt of a UK Company in 60's/70's we would have preferred to have repaired our vessels in UK yards, the work was good, but the time frame was lousy, dock your vessel, inspect your vessel with yard rep, discuss redelivery, answer anything from 3 to 8 weeks. 'not my job mate' was the most oft heard expression in a British Yard.

Dock your ship on the Continent for same repairs, go through the same procedure, ask about redelivery, answer 14/15 days, at the end of first week they would tell exact day and time of redelivery, this enabled shipowner to plan his next cargo uplift and crew rejoin, as an owner, what would you do. 'I will find someone to help you' was the answer you got in a Continental yard

When we joined the EU, the EU declared that all Govt shipyard susidies should stop, guess what happened, sweet fanny adams, we remained at a disadvantage and our successive Govts of all hues failed to do a goddam thing about it.

We excel at shooting ourselves in the foot.