John Syvret News

UK based shipbuilding and engineering company Cammell Laird  announced a series of changes to its senior management team.The restructure sees company founder and CEO John Syvret CBE extend his role to executive chairman; Tony Graham becomes chief operating officer;  and Paul Owen joins the company from the defense industry to become managing director. In addition, Linton Roberts takes up a new role as group technical director sales and marketing.

The hull of the U.K.’s new polar research ship RRS Sir David Attenborough was launched from Cammell Laird shipyard Saturday, marking a major milestone toward the completion of one of the world’s most advanced scientific maritime vessels.Shipyard workers, engineers, scientists and maritime industry experts were among thousands who gathered to celebrate the launch along with special guest speakers, including renowned naturalist and broadcaster Sir David Attenborough, who pressed…

Naval architect and marine engineering firm Houlder has played a key role in the development of the U.K.’s new polar research vessel, RRS Sir David Attenborough, since it was first conceived by the British Antarctic Survey.CEO Rupert Hare will join members of the project team as hull number 1390, comprising 10,000t of steel, is launched at Cammell Laird Shipyard on July 14.As experts in ship construction, and ice class design in particular, Houlder worked with the British Antarctic…

A new partnership between Cammell Laird and BAE Systems aims to position the companies to build five Type 31e Frigates for the U.K. Royal Navy. The Teaming Agreement has been formed in response to the U.K. Ministry of Defense Request for Information and will now be part of a competitive tender process. Under the agreement, Cammell Laird will act as Prime Contractor to build the Type 31e Frigates with BAE Systems providing warship design, engineering capability and combat systems expertise.

British shipbuilder, and diverse engineering service provider, Cammell Laird has welcomed Sir Michael Fallon Secretary of State for Defence on a visit to the yard. The company said during the visit it intends to design and build a world leading Type 31 Frigate that will meet the Royal Navy’s specification and budget and will market the platform globally and capitalize on major export opportunities to Britain’s international allies around the world. Cammell Laird CEO John Syvret CBE said it is ‘ready…

Jim Clark, a senior manager at Cammell Laird, has clocking 60 years in the ship repair industry, making him one of the U.K.’s longest serving Chief Estimators. The 76-year-old chief estimator has delivering more than 11,000 over the course of his career, having worked with maritime brands from Blue Star Line to his current role at Cammell Laird. Since his first job in 1962 he has delivered estimates for ship repair projects worth circa £100 billion ($129.2 billion) in today’s currency.

The stern section of Britain’s new polar research ship, RRS Sir David Attenborough, will be transported by barge this week from Hebburn-based shipyard A&P Tyne (Newcastle), part of A&P Group, to the Cammell Laird’s shipyard in Birkenhead. The new ship is a major U.K. Government investment in frontier science. Commissioned by NERC, and built by the world famous marine engineering company Cammell Laird Shiprepairers & Shipbuilders Ltd. The vessel is a Rolls-Royce design, and will be operated by British Antarctic Survey when the ship enters service in 2019.

Cammell Laird shipyard informs it has reached the nine-month milestone in its project to build the U.K.’s new polar research ship the RRS Sir David Attenborough. The Merseyside-based engineering services giant beat off competition from around the world to be appointed to build the £15 0million vessel. The ship, which is the biggest commercial shipbuilding project in Britain for 30 years, has been commissioned by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), and it will be operated by British Antarctic Survey (BAS), transforming the U.K.’s polar research capability.

Liverpool City Region (UK) shipyard Cammell Laird has announced it will be honoring its illustrious naval and military heritage next month by being headline sponsor of the UK’s Armed Forces Day (AFD). The AFD celebrations will take place in Liverpool this year on June 24, with more than 1,000 serving personnel, veterans, cadets and marching bands taking part in a parade followed by a full program of events near the city’s iconic waterfront. Cammell Laird CEO John Syvret, CBE,…

British shipyard and engineering company Cammell Laird said it plans to unleash an “aggressive exports drive” in 2017 after one of its busiest years for commercial marine work, which saw it land the biggest shipbuilding project in the U.K. for a generation. Cammell Laird CEO John Syvret said the winning of the £150 million contract to build the Sir David Attenborough polar research vessel for the U.K. Government “threw open” a new global market to build a range of high value polar vessels from research to cruise ships.

U.K. shipbuilder Cammell Laird held one of the largest ceremonies in its history when Sir David Attenborough joined more than 1,000 people for the keel laying of the new £150 million polar research vessel. Construction was officially started by the world-renowned naturalist and broadcaster, after whom the ship is named, at the ceremonial event at Cammell Laird’s famous Birkenhead site in Liverpool City Region. Sir David started the keel laying process by initiating the lifting by crane of the first hull unit on to the construction berth.

The deal has been finalized for marine and engineering services company Cammell Laird to begin work on the U.K.’s new £200 million polar research ship. The Birkenhead shipyard Cammell Laird said it saw off competition from Europe and beyond including Korea and Singapore to be selected as the preferred bidder to build the new vessel for the government-funded Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). Bosses met Friday, November 19 to sign the contract, and detailed design work gets underway immediately.

The U.K. Government announced Monday that Cammell Laird in Birkenhead has been selected as the preferred bidder to build the nation’s new £200 million polar research ship. The decision follows a 12-month competitive tender process that involved bids from companies in the U.K., Spain, Norway, Singapore and South Korea. The winning project will secure jobs and apprenticeships and provide an economic boost to Merseyside, the shipbuilder noted. The shipyard is expected to cut steel in autumn 2016 and deliver the next generation polar research vessel ready for operation by 2019.

A&P Group, the UK’s largest ship repair firm has bagged a £15 million military contract to complete the fit-out of the Royal Navy support group’s new fleet of tankers. The Cornish shipbuilder will customize and maintain the Royal Fleet Auxiliary’s four new tankers, which are due to come into service from next year, for at least three years. The announcement was made by Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne during a visit to A&P Falmouth at the port's docks this morning. Osborne said that the Ministry of Defense (MoD) contract will also help secure 350 existing jobs at A&P Falmouth, as well as providing six apprenticeships. The new ships will be operated by the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.

Birkenhead-based shipyard and engineering services company Cammell Laird is ramping up its activity in the energy sector by investing more than £1.5 million in its facilities and appointing a leading nuclear sector engineer. John Eldridge has joined Cammell Laird from Sellafield Ltd. which operates the nuclear reprocessing plant in West Cumbria. He has a track record of more than 40 years working on the design, construction, commissioning and operation of nuclear facilities. Cammell…

Painters from British shipyard and engineering services company Cammell Laird have started work transforming a pilot boat into a camouflage dazzle design to mark the centenary of the First World War, in which the company played a key role. One of the world's leading contemporary artists Carlos Cruz-Diez has been commissioned to design the dazzle pattern for the Edmund Gardner vessel situated in dry dock near Liverpool’s Albert Dock. The design will remain secret until a special ceremony to unveil the newly dazzled vessel in June.

A memorial has been unveiled in Birkenhead (Wirral, Liverpool City Region, United Kingdom) dedicated to the victims of one of the worst maritime disasters of the 19th century. HMS Birkenhead, a steam frigate built by John Laird’s shipbuilders in Birkenhead, sank off the coast of Gansbaai, South Africa on February 26, 1852. Out of 638 people onboard, only 193 survived. Many victims were taken by sharks. The tragedy was the first occasion when troops were ordered to stand fast and the protocol of women and children first was used. As a result, all women and children aboard the vessel survived.

Merseyside engineering firm Cammell Laird announced its largest ever intake of apprentices since it restarted its apprenticeship program in 2008. Birkenhead-based Cammell Laird has taken on 22 apprentices working across a range of skills which brings the total number within the business to 71. Around 50 apprentices have graduated into highly skilled, qualified tradesmen over the past five years with Cammell Laird and are still actively employed with the business. Last year, Cammell Laird recruited 18 apprentices and had a total of 64 working for the company.

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. Seatruck welcomes the new facility that is well placed to provide for its needs on their Irish Sea route.

Accountancy firm PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC) said on Wednesday it had received a second management buyout bid for the U.K. shipyard assets of struggling shipbuilder Cammell Laird Plc, which has so far had to cut 600 jobs this year. Cammell Laird entered into receivership after a series of cancelled orders hit its finances, causing it to suspend trading in its shares. The second bid is spearheaded by former executives John Syvret and Brett Martin, a spokesman for the team said, and is for both the Birkenhead and the Tyneside yards. "The bid was put in this morning," he said. PwC has already received a separate management buyout bid from a different team for the Birkenhead yard.

Merseyside shipyard and engineering firm Cammell Laird has formally started the second five year cycle of its biggest single contract. Work began in June 2013 on the second period of Cammell Laird’s through-life support cluster contract to maintain nine of the 13 ships in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) flotilla. The cluster contract was first awarded to Cammell Laird in 2008 and following reviews of performance and value for money the contract was extended for a further five years to 2018.