Seatruck supports Mersey shiprepair

Heysham-based Seatruck Ferries has drydocked its freight ferry MV Moondance with newly formed North Western Ship Repairers, using Birkenhead's Bidston dock. The dock is not far from the Camell Lairds facility, and North Western is led by John Syvret (ex-MD of Camell Lairds. Seatruck is the first company to use North West for a full drydocking. Kevin Hobbs MD of Seatruck, says, "We are delighted that North Western has stepped in to offer the quality service that we require. Merseyside has once again proved itself as a center of excellence for ship repair and conversion. There is a real need for this type of facility in the North West." Seatruck welcomes the new facility that is well placed to provide for its needs on their Irish Sea route. "Our priority is to ensure minimum downtime for our freight ferry service between Heysham and Warrenpoint," says Hobbs. "We are seeing growing demand on the route and we want to use local facilities so that the ship is out of service for the minimum time possible. We have a lot of confidence in the skill bank available here. They have done a great job and we are getting back in service on time and on budget today." Previously Seatruck had drydocked both its vessels with Camell Lairds who also undertook major conversion work to both freight ro/ro ferries. Seatruck Ferries is part of the U.K.-based Crescent Group. It operates a freight only service between the UK and Ireland on the Heysham-Warrenpoint route. The Crescent group of companies comprises four distinct divisions operating throughout Europe. Crescent Tankships, the group's petroleum product distribution arm, is recognized by a number of oil majors as a reliable and high-quality products carrier. Crescent Shipping, the group's dry cargo shipping division, is a leading European dry bulk distribution and logistics partner on short sea and river trades. Seatruck ferries is the group's RoRo arm. Crescent Marine Services, the group's ship management division, is a fully certified technical and commercial manager specializing in high-intensity short sea management.