Press Releases - ABLE

COMPANY REVEALS PLANS FOR SHIP CONSTRUCTION WORK
05/12/03

Ship construction work could make a return to Able UK’s Graythorp facility as a spin-off of the contract for the recycling of redundant US vessels.

Today (December 5th) the company’s Managing Director Peter Stephenson revealed that work to bring two part-completed oil tankers into service could be carried out at Graythorp—but he stressed this would be dependent on getting the go-ahead to commence the recycling work.

Able is currently in contract discussions with a number of potential clients interested in the tankers and Mr Stephenson said they where working towards work beginning later next year. The project will mean valuable business for local companies carrying out the work.

Currently four of the redundant vessels are moored at the Able facility awaiting the outcome of legal hearings between the Friends of the Earth and the Environment Agency scheduled for next week and the legal hearing between three residents of Hartlepool and Hartlepool Borough Council scheduled for the 15th December. Mr Stephenson says the company’s position on its permissions to undertake the work should be vindicated.

He says that, provided the issues surrounding the recycling contract can be resolved, the work on the completion of two tankers, the Benjamin Isherwood and the Henry Eckford, could be carried out at Graythorp.

The two vessels were ordered by the US Navy but were never completed and in recent years have formed part of the Defence Reserve Fleet berthed in the James River in Virginia.

They were acquired by Post-Service Remediation Partners (PRP) as part of the overall contract for removing 15 vessels from the James River fleet—Able UK was awarded the subsequent contract for the recycling of 13 ships and Peter Stephenson says he expects the completion work on the remaining two could come to the UK.

He explained “We intend to complete these vessels, which are effectively brand new, and bring them into service. Provided we can resolve the issues surrounding the recycling of the other vessels, there is a very strong case for the completion work to be carried out by local workers at the Graythorp facility.

“After all it was originally a shipbuilding yard and there are certainly companies in the area with the skills and expertise available to undertake the work. If this did happen, we would hope that it opens up the possibility of attracting further similar construction contracts in the future.”

<< back