Harland & Wolff announces completion of first barge at Methil Shipyard since 1856
Cory placed an initial order of 11 barges with Harland & Wolff on 1st June 2022 worth £8.5 million
The barge, which has been made for waste management and recycling business Cory, will launch from Methil and be taken by sea to Cory’s lighterage site on the banks of the River Thames. It will join Cory’s existing fleet of tugs and barges which are used to transport recyclable and non-recyclable waste via a series of river-based transfer stations across London. Cory is one of the largest commercial operators on the Thames, and its use of the river to transport waste removes around 100,000 truck journeys from London’s roads each year.
This project has kept 115 people in active work at the Methil facility and enabled further employment, bringing the workforce up to around 150 people. Around 15 year one and year two apprentices have been able to work on this project, providing them with essential shipbuilding experience at this crucial early stage of their careers.
Cory placed an initial order of 11 barges with Harland & Wolff on 1st June 2022 worth £8.5 million. Subsequently, Cory entered into a second contract for a further 12 barges, taking the contract total to £18.1 million. The barges will play a vital role in Cory’s growth plans. The company reached financial close on its Riverside 2 Energy from Waste (EfW) facility at the end of 2022, which will divert c.650,000 tonnes of non-recyclable waste from landfill. A bolstered fleet of tugs and barges will be essential to deliver the feedstock for the new facility.
The contract with Cory has enabled the resurgence of shipbuilding skills at Harland & Wolff’s Methil site since the Santiago was completed in 1856. In Belfast, the contract has allowed Harland & Wolff’s iconic shipyard to demonstrate its world-class shipbuilding skills, recommission its vast fabrication halls and pass these crucial skills and techniques on to the next generation of shipyard workers, ahead of its ramp up following the execution of the manufacture subcontract for the three vessel Fleet Solid Support (FSS) Programme.
Fran Comerford-Cole, Director of Logistics at Cory, said: “Cory has been operating on the river for well over 200 years, and we are proud that we are able to continue our support for the UK maritime sector through this contract with Harland & Wolff. I hope that this marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter at the Methil shipyard, and we look forward to welcoming the new barge to our fleet.”
Harland & Wolff was founded in 1861 by Sir Edward James Harland and Gustav Wilhelm Wolff. This is a multisite fabrication company operating in the maritime and offshore industry throughout six services, five markets and across four distinct sites. In Belfast, Northern Ireland, it operates one of the largest drydocks in Europe as well as being one of only three shipyards in the UK large enough to undertake complex defence projects. As a result of the acquisition of Harland & Wolff (Appledore) in August 2020, the company has been able to capitalise on opportunities at both ends of the ship-repair and shipbuilding markets where there will be significant demand. Following this, in February 2021, Harland & Wolff acquired the assets of two Scottish-based yards along the east and west coasts. Now known as Harland & Wolff (Methil) and Harland & Wolff (Arnish), these facilities will focus on fabrication work within the renewable, energy and defence sectors.