Intermarine UK promotes Portland Port to Government minister
Maritime firm Intermarine UK is driving national interest in South Dorset’s marine and engineering sectors after visiting the Minister for Business and Industry Richard Harrington MP in the House of Commons. Inter Marine Group President Slawomir Kalicki met with Mr Harrington together with South Dorset MP Richard Drax who set up the meeting. Mr Kalicki said the meeting covered key local issues with the parliamentary undersecretary including infrastructure, investment, skills and training, job creation and funding.
Mr Kalicki said he briefed Mr Harrington on how Intermarine UK is a UK registered subsidiary company of the Gdynia, Poland headquartered Inter Marine Group. He explained how Intermarine UK is making a major commitment to Britain and the Dorset region after signing a 20-year lease and relocating its UK head office from Bridgend to Portland Port. The move is set to generate 60 new jobs for local people in the next two years. Mr Kalicki added the company had already won £800,000 of pipe system orders from a UK shipyard.
“The minister welcomed our investment in South Dorset and expressed his pleasure in seeing an international engineering firm offering skilled, long-term employment for the region,” he said. “He also emphasised major opportunities in industry around Portland Port aside from maritime, including petrochemical, civil engineering and nuclear. These are key target markets for Intermarine UK as we look to expand our footprint in the region in the coming months and years.
“More broadly, we were able to share details of our nationwide operation working with shipyards across the UK through our specialist ship repair service launched in March. This division offers a range of engineering services to the ship repair, refit, conversion and shipbuilding markets.”
Business and Industry Minister Richard Harrington said: “It is great news that Intermarine’s investment in Portland Port will bring new jobs to the local area and will also help ensure UK shipbuilding expertise remains in the area for years to come. Through our modern Industrial Strategy and National Shipbuilding Strategy, we are working with the sector to attract more investment like this and secure a viable future for UK’s maritime sector.”
Mr Drax said the visit was important to raise awareness of Intermarine UK and Portland Port operations at minister level.
“It was a pleasure to organise a meeting between Mr Kalicki and Richard Harrington,” he said. “The arrival of Intermarine, at Portland Port is truly exciting and welcome. The company brings with it highly skilled jobs and good career prospects, which is exactly what we need in South Dorset. I look forward to working with the company in the years ahead and seeing it go from strength to strength.”
Intermarine UK has invested six-figure sums into new equipment at its Portland operation including bending machines, welding sets, CNC plasma machines and laser cutters. It focusses on delivering fabrication, welding and electrical services. This includes hull and deck repairs as well as pipe work design, installation and upgrade. It will further offer mechanical services including pump and valve overhauls and engine room upgrades.
The Inter Marine Group draws on nearly 30-years’ experience in the maritime industry and has worked with major UK maritime companies including BAE, Babcock, Cammell Laird, Fergusons and A&P
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.
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
·11.6 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