BIRKENHEAD’S Cammell Laird shipyard has been named joint preferred bidder for a £150m contract to build flight decks for the UK’s next generation of aircraft carriers.


The work could support hundreds of jobs at the Wirral yard which built the famous two Ark Royal aircraft carriers.

Cammell Laird boss John Syvret said today: "This is clearly very positive.

"We need to analyse what the full extent of this is. It is preferred bidder status which basically means we are down with A&P shipyard to final discussions concerning the blocks we tendered for, which is fantastic news."

The Alliance Management Board of the Aircraft Carrier Alliance (ACA) today announced a revision to the build strategy for the UK’s two Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers, which included the Laird’s announcement.

ACA has adjusted its plans for the two 65,000 tonne ships to meet the Ministry of Defence’s need to re-schedule the build due to budget pressures.

The original delivery dates of 2014 and 2016 have now been deferred by one to two years.

Several UK yards will build different parts of the vessels for final assembly at Rosyth.

Cammell Laird and the Tyneside yard of A&P, which previously owned the Birkenhead yard, are in discussions with the MoD to build the two flight decks.

Geoff Searle, programme director for the carriers, said: "I am delighted that we have been able to announce that both the north-east and north-west regions, with their traditional shipbuilding heritage, will contribute to the build of these great ships."

THE LIVERPOOL ECHO

£150m aircraft carrier construction job set for Cammell Laird
Mar 2 2009 By Neil Hodgson


Cammell Laird

BIRKENHEAD’S Cammell Laird shipyard has been named joint preferred bidder for a £150m contract to build flight decks for the UK’s next generation of aircraft carriers.

The work could support hundreds of jobs at the Wirral yard which built the famous two Ark Royal aircraft carriers.

Cammell Laird boss John Syvret said today: "This is clearly very positive.

"We need to analyse what the full extent of this is. It is preferred bidder status which basically means we are down with A&P shipyard to final discussions concerning the blocks we tendered for, which is fantastic news."

The Alliance Management Board of the Aircraft Carrier Alliance (ACA) today announced a revision to the build strategy for the UK’s two Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers, which included the Laird’s announcement.

ACA has adjusted its plans for the two 65,000 tonne ships to meet the Ministry of Defence’s need to re-schedule the build due to budget pressures.

The original delivery dates of 2014 and 2016 have now been deferred by one to two years.

Several UK yards will build different parts of the vessels for final assembly at Rosyth.

Cammell Laird and the Tyneside yard of A&P, which previously owned the Birkenhead yard, are in discussions with the MoD to build the two flight decks.

Geoff Searle, programme director for the carriers, said: "I am delighted that we have been able to announce that both the north-east and north-west regions, with their traditional shipbuilding heritage, will contribute to the build of these great ships."

Wirral's news story here

Birkenhead shipyard Cammell Laird set for jobs joy with aircraft carrier deal


CAMMELL Laird boss John Syvret today spoke about the new jobs work on a £150m aircraft carrier contract could bring to Merseyside.

The Birkenhead yard yesterday revealed it was awarded preferred bidder status, along with Teesside shipyard A&P, to build the flight decks of two new Royal Navy aircraft carriers, HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales.

Talks are now underway with the Ministry of Defence (MoD) over the way the work will be split between the two yards.

Chief executive Mr Syvret said the announcement was a tremendous boost for the yard.

He said: “This shipyard has an immensely proud history of building Royal Navy carriers, including two Ark Royals.

“Being awarded preferred bidder status is a major endorsement of the skills and expertise we have worked so hard to rebuild here over the past eight years.

“If we do win this contract, it will safeguard and generate jobs and work for local businesses.”

He said the work would be carried out using Laird’s giant shipbuilding hall, the biggest of its kind in Europe.

He added once complete, the flight decks are likely to be transported from the hall to the river’s edge and lifted on to barges to be sailed to Rosyth, in Scotland, where both vessels will be assembled.

He added: “This is clearly very positive.

The carriers will be the two of the biggest Royal Navy vessels to be built.”

They are expected to enter service around 2016 and 2018 after a two-year delay due to MoD budget pressures.

A variety of UK shipyards won contracts to construct parts of the vessels and work on cutting the first steel for the carriers in Glasgow is expected to start as early as June.

Both carriers will provide four acres of capacity, able to sail to any location across the globe.

The flight decks will support the new generation Joint Strike Fighter, which also involves another Merseyside link.

Birkenhead precision engineer CML was contracted to provide parts for the new fighter, a descendant of Britain’s legendary Lightning aircraft.

Both vessels will each weigh 65,000 tonnes, will be 280m long and 70m wide and will be capable of 25 knots.

They will have a total complement, including the air group, of about 1,500 people.

Cammell Laird’s current workload is split around 50-50 between MoD and commercial sector work.

It wants to grow in the international commercial market targeting the US, Scandinavia and the Gulf of Mexico for conversion, refit and repairs.

THE ECHO