Dorset maritime engineering firm Intermarine UK wins RRS Sir David Attenborough polar ship contract from Cammell Laird
South West-based maritime engineering company Intermarine UK has landed a contract from Cammell Laird shipyard on Merseyside to supply the £160million RRS Sir David Attenborough polar ship.
Intermarine UK has won a deal worth several hundred thousand pounds from Cammell Laird to fabricate more than ten tons of piping systems and provide combining equipment to Britain’s biggest commercial ship building project in more than 30 years (see noted to editors 1). The 128 metres long ship has been commissioned by Natural Environment Research Council NERC and will be operated by British Antarctic Survey. The ship is due to begin science expeditions in 2019.
Inter Marine Group President Slawomir Kalicki said the fabrication work took place at the company’s new 2000sqm fabrication and welding facility at Portland Port in Dorset, UK (pictured above, see notes to editors 2) which opened in January creating up to 60 new jobs for local people in the next two years.
“We are absolutely delighted to win this work from Cammell Laird which is leading the renaissance of British shipbuilding,” he said. “This is just the type and size of business we want to service from our new facility in the Port of Portland. The RSS Sir David Attenborough polar ship is a massive project to be involved with and we are very pleased to bring our extensive skills, expertise and experience of fabrication of pipe systems to the job.”
Mr Kalicki said Intermarine UK signed a 20-year lease in January to move its UK head office from Bridgend to Portland Port, a former naval base and the second largest man-made harbour in the world. The company will start operations from February in Portland with the Sir David Attenborough being its inaugural contract.
“As with Cammell Laird we are looking to work with shipyards around the UK offering a range of engineering services,” he said. “We see huge potential in Portland Port as one of the best located ports in Britain. Furthermore, we see there is a strong skills base in the region and we are actively looking to employ local skilled maritime engineers and encourage workers to get in touch.”
Mr Kalicki said Intermarine UK has bought a variety of new equipment for the facility including CNC machines, laser cutters and steel production machinery.
“The Inter Marine Group draws on nearly 30-years’ experience in the maritime industry and ten years working in maritime engineering,” he said. “We work with shipyards across the UK and we have worked on big projects like the QUEEN ELIZABETH class aircraft carrier programme. We plan to use all that expertise and our new facility here at Portland to catapult our services further into the wider UK maritime industry.”
For further information on Intermarine UK’s Port of Portland operation Call: 44 2381 580009 Email: enquiries@intermarineuk.com Visit: www.intermarineuk.com
Notes to editors
- RSS Sir David Attenborough factfile
The RRS Sir David Attenborough will be one of the most advanced polar research vessels in the world. From 2019 onwards scientists researching oceans, ice and atmosphere will have access to state-of-the-art facilities on this floating multidisciplinary research platform.
The new polar ship is commissioned by NERC, built by Cammell Laird and operated by British Antarctic Survey. This new research platform will transform how ship-borne science is conducted in the Polar Regions. The commissioning of the RRS Sir David Attenborough is part of a major Government polar infrastructure investment programme designed to keep Britain at the forefront of world-leading research in Antarctica and the Arctic. This £200m commitment represents the UK Government‘s largest investment in polar science since the 1980s.
Technical features
- Length: 128; beam: 24m; weight: 15,000gt
- Scientific cargo volume of approximately 900m³
- Endurance – up to 60 days (Polar Regions)
- Range 19,000nm at 13 knots (24 km/h) cruising speed; more than enough for a return trip from England to Rothera Research Station, or to circle the entire Antarctic continent twice!
- Ice breaking capability – up to 1m thick at 3 knots (5.6 km/h)
- Bow and stern thrusters for excellent dynamic positioning in challenging conditions
- Launch and recovery of aerial and ocean robotic systems
- Crew approx. 30
- Accommodation for up to 60 scientists and support staff
With greater fuel efficiency and an ability to use remotely operated and robotic technologies, the ship is expected to reduce the environmental impact of ship-borne science and save more than £100m in operating costs over its 25-year lifespan.
Visit: https://www.bas.ac.uk/polar-operations/sites-and-facilities/facility/rrs-sir-david-attenborough/
- PORTLAND PORT FACTFILE
- Portland is a thriving commercial port located in Dorset on the UK’s south coast.
- Portland Port operated as a base for the Royal Navy for nearly 150 years from the mid 19th century through to 1996 when Portland Port was then privatised and taken over by the Langham Group. Portland Harbour Authority later took over as the statutory harbour authority in 1998.
- Since then the harbour has developed into a thriving commercial port, that handles cruise ships, cargos, bunker vessels and also maintains a strong relationship with the Royal Navy and the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.
- Under the umbrella of the Portland Port Group are two separate entities: Portland Port Ltd and Portland Harbour Authority Ltd
- The port and its tenants are now a major employer within the local economy.
- The port’s close proximity to the English Channel shipping lanes provides an ideal location for vessels both in terms of distance and travel time.
- The harbour is well protected from the south and south westerly winds, as it shelters behind the Isle of Portland and Chesil Beach, and is circled by an extensive breakwater system which protects it from adverse easterly weather conditions.
- Portland Port offers a safe, sheltered and deep harbour which makes it a superb choice for all vessels, from small yachts to some of the largest cruise ships in the world.
- Due to its geographical location, it allows fast, safe access 24 hours a day. The port has a strong reputation as the south coast’s “premier service station”, where vessels are able to undertake a wide range of services; ownership/management/name change surveys, classification surveys, stores and crew transfers, as well as a wealth of underwater operations.
PORT CAPABILITIES
The key features of the port are:
- A dock estate of nearly 200 hectares and a marine jurisdiction stretching over 2400 hectares
- Over 2000 metres of alongside berths
- 6 metres (C.D) depth of water at the deepest alongside berth
- 6 designated anchorages in the outer harbour with depths at anchorage of up to 20 metres (C.D)
- 9 designated anchorages within the inner harbour with depths at anchorage of up to 15 metres (C.D)
- Very little beam and draft restriction with width at harbour entrance at 210 metres and depth at 12.4 metres (C.D)
- Pilotage and towage available 24/7
INTER MARINE GROUP BACKGROUND
The Inter Marine Group’s roots trace back to 1990 when our mother company: Inter Marine Sp. z o.o. was established.
The Inter Marine Group has grown into an international group of companies (IM Group) that is active in the following business areas:
- Marine Engineering
- International trade
- Employment agency (on land and sea)
Shipping services, forwarding and logistics