Cammell Laird News

Cammell Laird is delighted to announce it has received the prestigious Gold Award under the MoD’s Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS). Signing the Armed Forces Covenant, organisations pledge to honour two main principles which are: no member of the armed forces community should face disadvantage at work or in the community compared to other citizens and, in some circumstances, special consideration is appropriate for those who have given most, such as the injured or bereaved. Outstanding s...

Two of APCL’s most important priorities are worker safety and carbon reduction. And by partnering with a new glove supplier, APCL’s Cammell Laird facility has won an award for its continued commitment to both. APCL subsidiary Cammell Laird has named Traffi their new preferred supplier, with the intention that they should provide the absolute best protection for workers. New glove usage Since using the new gloves, hand injuries at the Birkenhead shipyard have been reduced by two-th...

Cammell Laird’s defence division has welcomed five Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) vessels simultaneously to its facility for vital maintenance work. In the first five months of 2024, Cammell Laird has welcomed RFA Tideforce, RFA Tiderace, RFA Fort Victoria, RFA Proteus and RFA Stirling Castle. Cammell Laird has provided in service support to the Royal Fleet Auxiliary under the Cluster support Contract since 2008. The team has supported vessels from the RFA Fort-Class, Wave-Class and Tid...

David McGinley, CEO of APCL Group said, “Today we celebrate Armed Forces Day, and Cammell Laird, part of the APCL Group, is proud to celebrate our close links with the UK’s military." “Not only are we proud to serve the Ministry of Defence through our dedicated Defence Division, but also count several former service personnel as some of our most valued employees." Silver Award holders “We are proud to be Silver Award holders of the MoD’s Employer Recognition...

APCL Group has welcomed Commodore Nick Fox to its facilities in Falmouth and Birkenhead to mark his retirement. Cdre Nick Fox's career has spanned 45 years in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary and has included several high-profile appointments - both afloat and shore-based. Nick Fox Nick Fox joined the Royal Fleet Auxiliary in 1978 as an engineer cadet. He completed his Cadet training in 1982 and served in a variety of seagoing and staff appointments before promotion to Captain in 2009. This sea ser...

APCL Group facility - Cammell Laird welcomed Rear Admiral Donald Doull CBE to its facility recently.  The Rear Admiral, Senior Responsible Officer for the Royal Navy's Dreadnought Submarine Programme, visited Cammell Laird to present an award in recognition of its exceptional contribution to Dreadnought programme delivery. Birkenhead facility tour The Rear Admiral was invited for a presentation with APCL directors, followed by a full workforce briefing and tour of the Birkenhead facility...

Last week, Cammell Laird welcomed Commodore David Eagles, Head of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA), to its facility. Cdre David Eagles joined the RFA in 1988 and has served for over 30 years on various seagoing and staff appointments. Prior to taking up his promotion and appointment as COMRFA, his last sea-going Command was RFA FORT VICTORIA. Four RFA vessels The visit included a tour of Cammell Laird’s facility, where the commodore had the opportunity to view the four RFA vessels curren...

The crucial importance of the maritime industry to the Liverpool City Region was the focus of a full day tour for the Shadow Maritime Minister, Mike Kane MP, when he visited the area on Thursday 15th February 2024. Hosted by Mersey Maritime, alongside some of its key partners, he was given a detailed update by the regional cluster organisation for the industry in the North West before embarking on a visit to Cammell Laird and the Port of Liverpool in the afternoon. During lunch, Mr Kane also v...

Cammell Laird has secured a £2 million contract to build two mooring dolphins on the River Mersey for Stanlow Terminals. Stanlow Terminals is a division of Stanlow Oil Refinery operator EET Fuels. A mooring dolphin is a standalone structure that assists in mooring and securing a ship to a terminal or other secure structure via a rope. Stanlow Terminals Cammell Laird is set to build two of these Dolphins for Stanlow Terminals and they will weigh 50 tonnes each. In 2022, Cammell Laird su...

Gibdock, a pioneering ship repair yard, is proud to announce the appointment of Mr. John Barnard to its team. With over 15 years of experience in the ship repair and ship building industries, John's wealth of knowledge and leadership will play a pivotal role in advancing Gibdock's capabilities. A graduate from the University of Southampton with a Masters degree in Ship Science in 2008, John began his career as a Naval Architect at Cammell Laird in the UK. His journey in the maritime sector has...

Cammell Laird’s commercial ship repair division has experienced significant growth towards the end of 2023, up by 50% from this time last year. In the last two months alone, the facility has welcomed more than 11 vessels for ship repair works – including new and returning customers. Cammell Laird now operates as part of the wider APCL Group of shipbuilders and ship repairers - which has helped the movement of vessels across all four facilities. Recent shipbuilding contrac...

Regional cluster organisation, Mersey Maritime are delighted to announce that they have surpassed their initial pledge of £20,000 for The Hive Youth Zone, a local charity providing essential support for disadvantaged youth. The impressive sum of £43,700 was raised as part of Mersey Maritime’s 20-year anniversary celebrations. Just over 12 months ago, Mersey Maritime pledged to support The Hive Youth Zone. Located just a short distance from Mersey Maritime’s headquarters...

Cammell Laird will construct the first new Mersey ferry in 60 years in a move that marks a major milestone for the shipbuilder. The Birkenhead facility – which is part of the APCL group – has put pen to paper with the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority on a deal that will see the new vessel designed and built exclusively on-site. Full electric propulsion The ferry will also have an exhaust after-treatment system, which will operate in excess of UK The state-of-the-art vesse...

Cammell Laird and The Engineering College have welcomed 50 first-year apprentices following a successful recruitment campaign. Building on the success of previous years, this group of apprentices will undertake their training and education with The Engineering College, including spending the first year of their apprenticeship in the college’s industry-standard workshops, learning the foundations of their trade alongside skilled tutors. Long-term sustainability The new apprentices includ...

Cammell Laird has enjoyed a busy three months having welcomed four Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels to its facility. The UK’s first Multi-Role Ocean Surveillance ship is one of the latest Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels to undergo maintenance and refitting at Cammell Laird. Multi-Role Ocean Surveillance Cammell Laird undertook the conversion of RFA Proteus, formally known as the Topaz Tangaroa, which was purchased by the UK Ministry of Defence for the conversion of Multi-Role Ocean Surveilla...

Ahead of DSEI 2023, Cammell Laird is delighted to announce that A&P and Cammell Laird have been awarded contracts by BAE Systems to build units for the Royal Navy’s Type 26 Frigates. The advanced anti-submarine warfare vessels are being constructed at BAE Systems’ site in Govan, Scotland, but will incorporate units built by both A&P and Cammell Laird. Fabrication facilities A&P Tyne - which boasts the largest fabrication facilities on the east coast of England - has bu...

Kelvine Tomlinson has been appointed Director of Procurement at Cammell Laird. He joins from BAE Systems where he worked in senior procurement positions for more than 15 years, on projects such as the F35 programme and Tempest - the UK's Future Combat Air System (FCAS). He also worked extensively in airframe material management. Kelvine Tomlinson With a career that has spanned both the private and public sectors, before joining BAE Systems, Kelvine Tomlinson also held senior commercial and pr...

The UK’s future Type 26 frigates are being manufactured by BAE Systems’ site in Govan, Scotland, but also incorporate blocks built from across the country. The Type 26 programme will deliver a total of eight anti-submarine warfare frigates to the Royal Navy, which will replace, in part, the ageing Type 23 fleet. UK’s Type 26 frigates The Type 26 will be comparable in size to the Type 45 air defence destroyers currently in service Expected to displace around 7,000 tonnes at...

Over the last three months, Cammell Laird has been undertaking the conversion of RFA Proteus, formally known as Topaz Tangaroa. The offshore support vessel was purchased by the UK Ministry of Defence earlier in 2023 for conversion for Multi-Role Ocean Surveillance (MROS). Crane and deck machinery Cammell Laird has been tasked with preparing the vessel for its new role, with works to the crane and deck machinery as well as a full paint scheme and name change. RFA Proteus is the newest member...

Officers and staff from emergency services in the North West took part in a multi-agency training exercise at Cammell Laird over the weekend. Emergency response test Over 400 participants from agencies, including Counter Terrorism Policing North West (CTPNW), Merseyside Police, Merseyside Fire & Rescue, North West Ambulance Service (NWAS), and the Coast Guard took part in the large-scale exercise staged at Cammell Laird shipyard, which was coordinated by CTPNW. The exercise, which was p...

Cammell Laird Shiprepairers & Shipbuilders Limited (Cammell Laird) is reporting an annual loss for the fifth year in a row, but is now showing signs of emerging from ‘some of the most challenging times in the group’s history’. That was how Chief Executive - David McGinley described 2020 and 2021 after the Birkenhead shipyard took a significant financial hit from the building of the £200 million polar research vessel - RRS Sir David Attenborough. Cammell Laird’...

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines’ Borealis has completed a multimillion-pound refurbishment programme at Cammell Laird shipyard, Birkenhead, becoming the first cruise liner to undergo work at the site for over 25 years. Borealis arrived on 28th October, for a 14-day refurbishment, including steel repairs, an overhaul of the shafts and propellers as well a new application of underwater paint, supported by more than 150 members of Cammell Laird’s workforce. Borealis ship sails out of Cammell...

Chris Davies has been appointed as Group Business Development Lead (Commercial Ship Repair) at A&P and Cammell Laird in a newly established position across both businesses. Chris joined A&P Group as a Business Development Manager Marine in 2018 and has a wealth of connections across the maritime sector. Over the last four years, Chris has been responsible for bringing a range of new customers to A&P from both the commercial and offshore sectors. Dock availability to ship owners Ch...

Cammell Laird continues to enjoy a busy 2022 with a range of commercial vessels visiting its facilities for extensive programmes of works. In the same month that Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Defence Secretary Ben Wallace visited the shipyard to unveil the new National Shipbuilding Strategy Refresh, Cammell Laird completed several dry dockings and ship repair projects. Replacement of its sewage plant The vessel is operated by CalMac and connects the Scottish isles of Skye and Harris Ro-Ro...

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Defence Secretary Ben Wallace visited Cammell Laird’s facility now (Thursday, March 10) as the National Shipbuilding Strategy Refresh was unveiled. Designed to reinvigorate the shipbuilding and maritime sector across the UK regions as part of the government’s ‘levelling up’ agenda, the National Shipbuilding Strategy Refresh outlined the government’s plans for the UK shipbuilding enterprise and supply chain, which includes deliver...

Cammell Laird’s Defence Division has enjoyed a busy twelve months, as it continues to provide support to the four Tide Class tankers of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA). The 39,000-tonne newly built vessels came into service in 2017 and were built to replace the RFA’s single-hulled tankers. Bulk fuel Replenishment Together with RFA’s Wave Knight and Fort Victoria, the four tankers are maintaining the Royal Navy’s dedicated bulk fuel Replenishment at Sea (RAS) capabiliti...

Cammell Laird has welcomed two new apprentices to its growing finance department. New apprentices Jae Swift and Sophie Rice join Lewis Nutall and Alexandra Saunders, who started their apprenticeship in the finance team earlier this year. The apprentices are studying for their Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) across NVQ Levels 2 and 3. Biggest in the UK maritime industry Cammell Laird has recruited 46 apprentices over the last year alone Cammell Laird Shiprepairers and Shipbuilders...

Cammell Laird has recently appointed two new finance apprentices and is seeking two more in an exciting expansion of its finance department. Cammell Laird Shiprepairers and Shipbuilders Ltd have a proud history of training apprentices in a number of trades across the business and into full-time positions. AAT at various levels Finance apprentices at Cammell Laird spend one day a week at Wirral Met College, and the rest gaining hands-on experience within the organisation. Gemma Swift, Finance...

David McGinley, Chief Executive Officer of Cammell Laird Shiprepairers and Shipbuilders, and Atlantic & Peninsula Marine Services has won Business Leader of the Year in the British Ex-Forces in Business Awards. The British Ex-Forces Business Awards, which took place on the 23rd of June, celebrates the achievements of ex-forces personnel who have forged a successful second career in business. The awards also strive to demonstrate the huge value veterans bring to UK business. David McGi...

Cammell Laird, the UK’s leading shipbuilder, has named The Royal Naval Benevolent Trust (RNBT) as its Charity of the Year. The announcement comes during Armed Forces Day 2021 and is a reflection of Cammell Laird’s proud history of supporting the Armed Forces and the Royal Navy in particular, both during times of war and in peacetime. Range of different ways A further compelling reason for the choice is that many of Cammell Laird’s current employees are former service personn...