Bid to revive Mersey shipbuilding

SHIPBUILDING could return to Merseyside if an Anglo-Italian partnership wins a major Ministry of Defence contract.

Birkenhead-based Northwestern Shiprepairers and Shipbuilders (NSL) has formed an alliance with the Italian shipbuilding giant Fincantieri to bid for the contract to build six tankers for the Royal Navy.

NSL is already a military support specialist and prime contractor to the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) service. Once completed the new tankers will join the RFA fleet which provides food and fuel to the navy at sea.
 
The contract, known as the MARS project, has attracted international bids. Fincantieri has been short-listed along with Hyundai of Korea, Navantia of Spain and a consortium made up of DSME of Korea and the UK-based BAE Systems and BMT DSL.

NSL managing director John Syvret said: “I genuinely believe the alliance can provide an innovative European solution for the MOD. It will further ensure a significant amount of work would be undertaken in the UK which is vital in a time of economic downturn. The alliance will massively strengthen NSL’s business, expanding its services to both the public and private sectors”.
 
Alberto Maestrini executive senior vice president of Fincantieri’s naval vessel business unit added: “This is part of a larger strategy of collaboration with NSL and if successful with the MARS tender, the companies will pursue other business opportunities in the naval auxiliary, naval export and offshore markets.”
 
Fincantieri is one of the largest shipbuilding groups in the world with eight shipyards in Italy and a workforce of 9,400.

NSL was founded in 2001 and operates from the Cammell Laird Shipyard. It employs more than 1,000 people directly and indirectly from its Birkenhead base on the River Mersey.

In June the company won the £180m contract to maintain 11 of the RFA’s 16-strong fleet.