Construction Milestone for RRS Sir David Attenborough

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.

 

The transportation of the 899-metric-ton steel block (known as Block 10) – which is the equivalent weight of 71 London double decker buses, and more than 23 meters long and 24 meters wide – is a major engineering challenge and a significant milestone in the build, marking another milestone in the Cammell Laird construction program. The load-out operation is the outcome of a collaboration between Cammell Laird and A&P Group.

 

John Syvret CBE who is the CEO of both Cammell Laird and A&P Group, said, “The construction of the blocks by the A&P Group, as a contractor to Cammell Laird, is a tremendous showcase for British shipbuilding and engineering. Whilst both organizations are fierce competitors who very much ‘compete where they must’, they also on an arm’s length commercial basis ‘cooperate where they can’. 

 

“The RRS Sir David Attenborough ship build contract facilitates this cooperation where positive commercial benefits have been achieved. This is a business model that proved to be very successful in the building of Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers, where both organizations undertook the construction of circa 20,000 metric tons of large sections of flight deck modules for the two ships, and can be deployed and utilized on other contracts in the future. This is precisely the kind of collaboration that can help rebuild the commercial shipbuilding industry and provide thousands of highly-skilled jobs. 

 

“What we are doing in fact is providing proof of concept, of the strategy outlined in Sir John Parkers National Shipbuilding Strategy report commissioned by U.K. Government. By investing in U.K. shipyards, and encouraging shipyards to work together, the U.K. can dramatically ramp up the number of ships it builds, converts and repairs, for the commercial and naval sectors at home and abroad. The impact on job and wealth creation would, in turn, be massive and investment could be ploughed into young people, skills, facilities and communities. 

 

“The RRS Sir David Attenborough when built will be one of the most advanced ships of its type in the world. Cammell Laird beat off international competition from around the world to win the contract, proving the caliber of its workforce and facilities. We urge ship owners and management companies around the UK and the world to visit and see first-hand the quality of this vessel, and what the U.K. marine engineering industry can build for them.”

 

David McGinley, group managing director of A&P Group, which fabricated block 10, said, “This project is the very epitome of how the U.K.’s shipbuilding industry can work together to not only deliver the best in class engineering and fabrication but to hone and nurture the very best talent and skills too. 

 

“As one of the country’s leading fabrication businesses we’ve been actively involved in many major projects for the commercial marine, defense, oil and gas, subsea and offshore wind sectors and it’s a privilege and honor to add such a high profile and important research ship to the list. This project is also testament that shipbuilding continues to flourish on the Tyne.” 

 

Block 10 will be loaded onto a barge using self-propelled modular trailers. It is a complex operation involving hydraulic ballast pumps to keep the barge level while the heavy load moves onto it from the slipway. ALE is responsible for loading the stern section onto a barge. 

 

Departure time depends on tides and weather conditions but is expected to take place on Monday 21 August 2017. ALE will secure the block by specially-designed sea-fastenings during its transit to Cammell Laird which may take up to five days. The barge is likely to travel south through the English Channel.

 

On arrival at the Birkenhead yard, ALE will perform the ‘load-in’ process using the same SPMT configuration. Once securely ashore work will begin on joining Block 10 to its neighboring blocks under construction in Cammell Laird’s construction hall.

 

British Antarctic Survey’s Director of Operations, Tim Stockings said: “We’re really excited at seeing our new ship RRS Sir David Attenborough taking shape. The ship represents an important partnership with U.K. industry to deliver world leading science for the U.K. and beyond. The load out is another incredible milestone in this amazing project.”