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Double contract’s tide of hope for Tyne yard
DOUBLE ORDER ... the Neptune Despina and, inset, its sister-ship the Neptune Larissa sail into the Tyne. Pictures by KEVIN BLAIR.
A DOUBLE repair contract has provided a timely, if temporary, business boost for a South Tyneside yard.
Both the Neptune Despina and the Neptune Larissa offshore supply ships have sailed into the A&P Tyne yard in Hebburn, for repairs set to last for almost two months.
Bosses hope a series of short-term contracts will help to bring the “buzz” back to the ship repair facility, although there remains anxiety about the future of a long-term defence contract to create sections for two aircraft carriers.
Stewart Boak, managing director at A&P Tyne, said: “The vessels will remain alongside until the end of March, and whilst at the yard, we will undertake works on the exhaust system, and accommodation and electrical upgrades.
“The yard is now extremely busy, with four ships at the facility, as well as four ongoing fabrication projects in our steelwork facilities.”
This week, Mr Boak warned of a “significant impact” on the yard if BAE Systems closes its Portsmouth yard, leading to the cancellation of the next stage of the carriers contract.
More than 90 jobs were lost at the Hebburn yard before Christmas when part of a £55m order for the carriers was switched to Portsmouth.
But he added: “After the quiet times at the end of last year, it is pleasing to now feel a buzz about the yard, with many of the local tradesmen and management being taken back into the business for the projects.
“The increase in contracts creates an excellent opportunity for A&P to demonstrate that we can deliver a high-quality, on-time, cost-effective product to our customers.
“We are now working very hard to secure new contracts for the second half of the year, to maintain the momentum we have generated this year to date.”
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Weather for Jarrow
Tuesday 22 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 8 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: North east
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BoldonLad
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 05:50 PMGood Luck A&P, good to hear that at least one company is managing to make some progress.
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