A&P Birkenhead Stays Busy

Since reopening in August last year (2002), A&P Birkenhead has made significant strides to becoming a major force in the northern European shiprepair industry. One of the first operations carried out by A&P Group was to put in place efficient and effective quality systems in all the yard’s departments. This drive has been rewarded with the award of the ISO 9002:2000 accreditation from Bureau Veritas Quality Inspectorate (BVQI), which will also carry out six-monthly audits of the yard. Currently A&P Birkenhead is experiencing one of its busiest periods, having completed a 14-day repair programme onboard P&O’s ferry 14,426 grt European Pioneer, she is immediately followed by the 18,653 grt European Envoy, which will be in drydock for 10 days, and the 12,879 grt European Leader - 14 days. At the same time the yard is also carrying out general repairs onboard the 4,500 dwt products tanker Mersey Fisher, which is owned by James Fisher & Sons, Barrow and the 2,493 grt nuclear fuels carriers European Shearwater, which is owned by Pacific Nuclear Transport Ltd (PNTL) and managed by James Fishers. Also recently completed were general repairs to Olympic Shipping’s 2,330 dwt offshore supply vessel Olympic Supplier, and currently under repair is the 2,640 bhp tug Canada, owned by Adsteam Towing, which has a technical office in Liverpool. While the three graving docks are occupied, there are two fast ferries in the wet basin, in the yard for alongside repairs. The ferries involved are Hoverspeed’s 3,003 grt fast ferry Hoverspeed Great Britain and Sea Containers’ fast ferry SeaCat France. Also due in the yard’s No.5 drydock is the jack-up offshore rig Irish Sea Pioneer, which is owned by the Halliburton Group. This will be the first time since A&P Group has operated this shipyard that the yard has been called upon to carry out repairs to an offshore structure. The Birkenhead yard is one of the very few yards in the UK that can drydock a jack-up rig.