Cammell Laird wins £200m contract to build research ship

BIRKENHEAD shipyard Cammell Laird has won a £200m contract to build NERC’s polar research ship.

The deal has been sealed for a major marine and engineering services company to start work on a vessel to maintain the UK’s position at the forefront of climate and ocean research.

The world-famous Laird saw off massive competition from Europe and beyond including Korea and Singapore to build the state-of-the-art vessel for the government-funded Natural Environment Research Council (NERC).

Bosses met to sign the contract late on Friday, and detailed design work gets underway immediately. It is expected that full production will start in June next year, and on completion the vessel will be operated by NERC’s British Antarctic Survey (BAS).

Cammell Laird chief executive John Syvret said the agreement with NERC moves Cammelll Laird into its next chapter and will secure around 500 jobs for local people, boosting the economy in the region.

NERC chief operating officer Paul Fox met with Mr Syvret to seal the deal in Birkenhead.

Cammell Laird is expected to cut steel in June 2016 and deliver the next-generation polar research vessel ready for operation by 2019.

It will operate in both Antarctica and the Arctic, and will be able to endure up to 60 days in sea-ice to enable scientists to gather more observations and data.  

The ship will be the first British-built polar research vessel with a helideck to open up new locations for science and will be one of the most sophisticated floating research laboratories operating in the polar regions.

Cammell Laird was selected by NERC through a full competitive procurement process. NERC receives around £370m annually to invest in environmental science research in the UK.

NERC chief executive Professor Duncan Wingham said: “This new research ship, which is expected to become operational in 2019, will be equipped with on-board laboratory facilities and will be capable of deploying robotic technologies to monitor environmental changes to the polar oceans and will help UK scientists continue to lead the world in understanding our polar regions.

“Changes in both the Antarctic and Artic marine ecosystems affect the UK’s environment and economy, particularly in industries such as fishing and tourism.

“The Natural Environment Research Council funds polar research so that as a nation, we can develop policies to adapt to, mitigate or live with environmental change.

“This new polar ship will be a platform for a broad range of science, researching subjects from oceanography and marine ecology to geophysics.”

Syvret said winning the contract showed that British industry, given a level playing field, can be internationally competitive.

He said: “Signing this contract is another great day and proud moment for myself and the company.

“It is tremendous news for Merseyside and the UK maritime industry. It is further a fantastic endorsement of the world-class skills and experience of our workforce and the calibre of our facilities which are among the best in Europe.

“We must thank our MP Frank Field for his unwavering support for Cammell Laird being a driver of long term employment for people of all academic backgrounds as well as a wealth creator for the economy.”

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