British Shipbuilder Lands Thames Barge Contract

McTays, the shipbuilding subsidiary of HS Ocean Group (HSOG), was awarded a contract to design and build four barges by waste management company Cory Environmental.

The barges designed by McTays will be lighter and offer greater flexibility in order to meet Cory’s requirements.

The 12 month contract will underpin 60 jobs within the company’s shipyard for 12 months and will benefit the local supply chain.

McTays, which specializes in ship repairs, the design, build and delivery of ships and workboats as well as voyage repairs, will design and build the barges at its shipyard on the banks of the River Mersey.

The firm has vast experience in the construction of complex vessels, with a 6-acre site including a fully equipped build hall and engineering workshop opening directly onto a newly upgraded slipway capable of accommodating vessels up to 2,000 metric tons.

Cory Environmental is the largest lighterage (barge cargo) operator on the River Thames and utilises its fleet of barges to transfer waste and Incinerator Bottom Ash (IBA) across London. Cory exports more than 470,000 MWh of electricity to the National Grid annually – enough to power more than 100,000 homes.

Peter Breslin, Managing Director of McTays, said, “McTays has been building ships for forty years and has been awarded this contract due to our proven track record in ship building and design. The containers and technology used to transport waste and ash are advancing all the time and our design team has demonstrated its ability to meet these changing requirements.”

Neil Caborn, General Manager of Cory Environmental, said, “Thanks to our Thames operation there are now 100,000 fewer HGVs on the roads in London each year. McTays’ expertise will ensure the four new barges will be able to carry heavier payloads of IBA enabling us to increase the amount of waste we transport year on year.”

Andy Boardman, HSOG’s chief executive officer, said: “The contract award from Cory Environmental is a huge endorsement of the exceptional standard of work we deliver at HSOG. McTays has a strong reputation for ship design and ship building and we are delighted that the project is generating work for local engineers and providing an economic boost to the maritime industry here in the North West.”