Replicas of parts of two warships – Type 23 frigates and Type 45 destroyers – are being mocked up by A&P Falmouth and will be installed at HMS Raleigh as part of a new training facility to teach sailors how to safely transfer vital supplies from ship to ship while at sea.

The 170 tonne steel ship structures will be transported to HMS Raleigh, in Torpoint, once complete – which will be a logistical challenge in itself. The huge replicas will be broken down into smaller parts, transported by road, and reassembled at HMS Raleigh.

The five-month project, which is due to be completed in January 2012, has kept 25 of the internationally renowned ship repair company’s highly skilled steelworkers busy since it began in August.
HMS Raleigh, in Torpoint, is the Royal Navy’s premier training establishment in the South West where all recruits receive the first part of their naval training. The MoD has a contract with Rolls-Royce to develop a new range of replenishment at sea (RAS) equipment and build the new training training facility. RAS is a method of transferring fuel, munitions and general stores from one ship to another and takes place during the day or night and in all weathers.
Rolls Royce has subcontracted the construction of the steel replicas to A&P Falmouth.

Peter Child, Managing Director of A&P Falmouth, said: “We have been working with Rolls-Royce since the start of the service contract for the RFA Argus in 2006.

“This has evolved into a cluster contract, a 30-year contract between A&P and the MoD where we provide upkeep support to some of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships. The success and longevity of our relationship with Rolls-Royce is one which we are extremely proud of.”

David McConnell, Director of Naval Programmes for Rolls Royce, said: “Replenishment-at-sea is a vital part of modern naval operations and we are pioneering an innovative system that will deliver world-leading capability for the Royal Navy. The A&P team has made significant progress on the fabrication of the replica ship structures, which are designed to make the training as realistic as possible.

The 30,000 tonne ship arrived in the port in the early hours of Sunday for unscheduled repairs in dry dock at A&P. She docked at 2.30am and work began at 6am, as soon as the dock was dry. To assist this, A&P managed to re-shuffle other vessels in the docks, with the approval of their owners, to accommodate Adonia.

With just four days allowed to complete the essential maintenance before Adonia begins an 87-night world cruise on Friday (13), it was all hands on deck at the busy yard.

Peter Child, Managing Director of A&P Falmouth, said: “We gave a major commitment to complete the work within the four day window, and we have delivered to ensure this happened. We are delighted to say the work was finished ahead of schedule, and Adonia will undock this evening and sail for Southampton a day ahead of schedule.

“This is partly because we have had around 60 of our highly skilled staff working on the job 24/7, and partly because we worked extremely closely with P&O and Adonia’s crew, who were a credit to the ship. Everybody involved will be pleased to see the ship sail out of Falmouth early and we hope to be seeing P&O Cruises as returning customers in future.”

Adonia will leave Falmouth this evening en route for Southampton, where she will pick up passengers to start the cruise.

Mr Child said: “A&P prides itself on being able to react quickly and work flexibly, making space for customers with urgent needs wherever possible, and we are delighted to have been able to do that for Adonia.”

Adonia, which can carry up to 710 passengers, has been highly visible on the Falmouth skyline and crowds have gathered above the docks over the past few days to get a good view of her.

The lads rose to the challenge and swapped their routine skills of fitting, electricals and fabrication for picture editing, selling adverts and publishing.

They assembled a top-class calendar which they distributed to thousands of homes and businesses around the Hebburn yard AND raised £2000 for the children’s hospice Grace House, currently being built in Southwick, Sunderland.

The apprentices – Martin Laffey, 24, Lewis Burns, 18, Andy Todd and Danny Totton, both 21 – gave the charity a great start to the year by handing Grace House representative Richard Harris a cheque for the proceeds.

The calendar shows striking images of past projects at the yard, such as the conversion of former warship HMS Bristol into a Royal Navy training vessel and building part of the new aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth.

The group of apprentices also used their selling skills to find 12 companies from the yard’s sub-contractors and suppliers to sponsor each month of the year.

Martin, from Hebburn, who won the North East award last year for Outstanding Achievement for a First Year Apprentice, said: “It was like being on the TV show The Apprentice – it was a bit daunting to ring companies to ask for sponsorship and it tested your communication skills.

“We had to sort through hundreds of pictures and it was really hard to whittle them down to 12 because they were all good. The calendars were printed and delivered just before Christmas then we split into two teams and distributed them all ourselves to local homes and businesses.

“It’s good to be able to give something back to the community and help the Grace House Appeal too.”

Danny, from South Shields, who’s in the final year of his welding and fabrication apprenticeship, added: “The project took five weeks from start to finish.

“It was very different to our normal work, I’m used to working on the ships and instead we were in an office on the phone.

“I really enjoyed it and I’m pleased with the result. We’ve had good feedback on the calendar and people who have received it say it looks great, they can’t believe that we’ve done it.

“It was a real joint effort. It took five days to deliver all 2000 calendars, we were putting them through letterboxes from 9am to 3pm and we really hope people like it.”

In the calendar, Managing Director Stewart Boak praises the yard’s “generous workforce” for having raised an additional £2868 in the last seven months of 2011 through payroll donation, where everyone gives part of their monthly wage packet to Grace House, described as “a home from home for children with life-threatening conditions.”

He added: “It’s important we communicate with our neighbours and involve them in what A&P are doing. We thought it would be a good idea to involve our apprentices and they did an excellent job in pulling the whole thing together and distributing 2000 calendars to local homes and businesses just before Christmas.

“It’s been very well received so we plan to do it again and our challenge is to improve on it in future years.”

Kathy Secker, founder of the Grace House Appeal, offered “a huge thank you” to A&P Tyne and said the building of Grace House was on target for completion in the summer.

She added: “We need to fund a very extensive and specialist equipment list and this wonderful donation from the apprentices at A&P Tyne will go towards the cost of installing specialist ceiling hoists.”

The Tees yard has funded the publication of a book recording the yard’s illustrious history, starting in 1908 as Smith’s Dock, right up to date under the ownership of the A&P Group.

Local author Wilf Austin spent the first six years of his working life at
Smith’s Dock, South Bank in the 1960s and remembers them with pride and
affection. Once retired, he wrote “A Shipyard Centennial” to ensure the amazing
achievements of this relatively small yard wouldn’t be forgotten.

He personally financed a limited edition of 100 earlier this year and it proved
so popular it sold out within a fortnight.

When A&P Tees heard of Wilf’s work they bought ten copies to gift to some of
their clients – including Cemex Marine, Hanson Aggregate, Global Marine and
Gulf Offshore – and were amazed at the feedback.

A&P Tees Commercial Director Ian Douglas said: “We had no idea there was so
much interest in the yard from throughout the area and the marine industry. We
had lots of requests for copies but were unable to help as it sold out so
quickly.

“We loved the book, it really captured the spirit of the yard, and we thought
it deserved our support. Publishing is an expensive business so we offered to
pay for a second extended edition of 500 copies, charting the yard’s progress
right up to date.”

The new edition, which is 50% bigger than the first, goes on sale this week at
Waterstones in Middlesbrough, The Guisborough Book Shop and Atkinsons Print in Hartlepool.

Wilf was overwhelmed by the interest in Teesside yard, which built over 900
vessels for customers worldwide, ranging from whalers to warships, and won
affection and loyalty from its workforce and its clients.

He said: “Copies went all over the world, from New York to Norway, but demand
outstripped supply which, unfortunately, left a lot of people disappointed.

“I was elated when A&P Tees said they would like to sponsor a second edition.
It is much bigger and includes a new chapter on apprenticeships, something A&P
is very keen on.

“It’s marvellous really, this is a story about a shipyard that did wonderful
things and here we are, more than 100 years later, and it’s still doing
wonderful things. Those docks, which were built for the growing marine business
on the Tees, are still being used today.

“A&P Tees don’t build ships but they maintain, repair and convert vessels and
the skills are still the same, they’re being kept alive, which is crucial.

“The yard has said it would like to donate a copy to each of the sixth-form
colleges and academies on Teesside, so that a small part of the story of the
River Tees is preserved. I think that’s a brilliant idea.

“Shipping is still a big business in the UK and something young people should
really get switched onto because there are lots of opportunities career-wise.”

Young workers at the South Bank ship repair yard needed the perfect Santa to spearhead a fundraising Christmas Fayre they are staging on Sunday, December 4, at Stewart Park in Middlesbrough.

So they approached the 59-year-old docking manager because they thought he “was the closest guy in the yard to match Santa’s description.”

Project engineer Sally Weston, 23, who’s helping organise the Fayre, said: “I don’t know how pleased he was about that but luckily for us he accepted!

“He was our unanimous choice when we had to pick the person who most resembled Santa.
“We weren’t thinking of his physique, it was more his cheery presence . Chris is always laughing and smiling around the yard and he seemed right at home in the suit!”
Chris, who’s worked for A&P for nearly 30 years, said: “At first, I didn’t know whether to take it as a compliment or not but I said I’d do it.

“It’s not a part I’ve played before, not even for my own kids, so I may need a bit of practise but now I’ve got over the shock I’m really looking forward to it.”

The Christmas Fayre, which runs from 11am to 4pm with free entrance, is the first of many events that an eight-strong A&P Tees team are holding over the next four months.

Sally, the team leader, said: “We’re competing in the Zero 2 Hero fundraising campaign for the Prince’s Trust, which helps disadvantaged young people return to education or find employment.

“The aim of the competition is to turn £500 into £5000 over the next four months.

“It’s a daunting prospect but we’ve got lots of ideas and quite a few events lined up, starting with the Christmas Fayre.”

The team tasked with delivering a giant profit for the Prince’s Trust are all aged between 18-28 and had to pass a “Dragon’s Den” style grilling to ensure they were worthy contenders for the charity’s £500 “investment” in them.

The Christmas Fayre will feature arts and crafts stalls, food stalls, pony rides, a Santa’s Dash charity run and, of course, Santa’s Grotto, where Chris will swap his hard hat and hi-visibility jacket for a big, white beard and bright red costume.

The site has also been issued with a marine license by the Marine Management Organisation (MMO), which allows the mooring of marine energy converter devices.

The announcement, made at the Regen SW Renewable Futures conference in Bath, is the latest step in the creation of a marine energy park in South West England.

The Park aims to pull together commercial and academic organisations and marine energy assets to create a vibrant and dynamic centre of marine energy in the region.

FabTest, which is not grid-connected, will enable wave energy generation device developers to conduct sea trials of their devices in moderate seas, close to port facilities. It is a stepping stone to the deployment of arrays of devices at Wave Hub, the world’s largest grid-connected wave energy demonstration facility installed 10 nautical miles off the north coast of Cornwall last year.

The management of the site will be undertaken by a partnership between FHC and the University of Exeter. The FabTest project has been driven by a steering group which has also included Wave Hub and the marine energy support industry including A&P Group and Mojo Maritime in Cornwall.

Mark Sansom, Chief Executive of Falmouth Harbour Commissioners, said: “FabTest offers a pre-consented area in Falmouth Bay licensed to test up to three devices at a time and we are delighted to have signed this lease with The Crown Estate. We will manage the facility and have already secured a licence from the MMO. This means we can offer developers a streamlined approval process for individual devices in an area with a range of depth and seabed types that does not interfere with marine traffic.”

Rob Hastings, Director of the Marine Estate, The Crown Estate said: “We are delighted to have leased this site for the FabTest project and look forward to seeing it being used to test devices.  As the emerging wave industry makes the transition from technology R&D to commercial project development, further technology testing is essential and FabTest offers to play an important supporting role.  The Crown Estate is also pleased to be working with RegenSW and other stakeholders in the southwest of England to start planning for commercial-scale wave and tidal project development in the future.”

The University of Exeter’s Cornwall-based marine energy experts first proposed the idea of a nursery test site in Falmouth Bay and will help regulate the facility. Dr Lars Johanning, Senior Lecturer in Renewable Energy at the university, said: “FabTest will provide an opportunity to boost our already world-class research in marine renewable energy, including assessing the impact of the technologies on the marine habitat and the development of improved engineering solutions, prediction and modelling techniques.”

Johnny Gowdy Programme Director, Regen SW, said: “We are working with Cornwall Council and Plymouth City Council on the creation of a marine energy park in the South West and FabTest is another essential component in the region’s growing offer to the marine energy industry. We are delighted at today’s announcement, coinciding as it does with our Renewables Futures conference.”

Claire Gibson, general manager at Wave Hub added: “FabTest is exactly what the industry has told us it needs and complements the growing marine energy assets and expertise we have in the South West region. It has been designed as a stepping stone to Wave Hub and will help device developers on the critical path to commercialisation.”

FabTest has also been welcomed by Plymouth University, which is currently building wave and tidal tank testing facilities in Plymouth that will be unique in the UK when they open next year.

Professor Julian Beer, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Regional Enterprise) at Plymouth University said: “When you combine our marine building with FabTest’s nearshore facilities, Wave Hub’s offshore grid-connected site, the marine supply chain and the region’s academic expertise, you have the knowledge and assets to take a marine energy project from prototype model to full scale testing of arrays, all in South West England. That’s what the marine energy park concept is all about.”

FabTest is also expected to play a key role in supporting the growth of marine businesses in Cornwall.

Mike Reynolds, Port Operations Director at A&P Group’s Falmouth operation, which has a growing marine renewables business, said: “FabTest is what our customers need to test and develop their devices and systems before looking at deployments further offshore, so this is very welcome. The potential to construct, deploy and service these devices is a key part of our strategy to grow our business in Cornwall. We expect FabTest to play an important role in realising this growth.”

FabTest offers developers the chance to undertake tests to investigate structural integrity, response behaviour, mooring and umbilical behaviour, subsea components, monitoring systems and deployment procedures in moderate sea conditions before deploying their devices in more energetic offshore conditions.

The Crown Estate lease and MMO consent is for five years and the three berths available will be let by Falmouth Harbour Commissioners on commercial terms.

For industry enquiries about FabTest please email info@fabtest.co.uk

The RFA Largs Bay was formally handed over to the Australian Department of Defence, which bought the ship, at an official signing ceremony on Friday (Oct 14th).

The ship has been renamed ADFS Choules, after Claude Choules, the last combat veteran of the first world war, who died earlier this year aged 110. British born, he began his 41-year military career with the Royal Navy, later relocating to Australia and joining the Royal Australian Navy. The new name was chosen to recognise the strong links that bind Australia and Great Britain.

Work began in June and was completed on September 29 – one day early. The major refit included:

•       Overhauling the main propulsion system, including diesel generators and azimuths
•       Repainting the hull and flight deck
•       Upgrading the tropical cooling system
•       Upgrading and maintaining the salt water system
•       Overhauling the stern ramp
•       Extending the bridge front walkway
•       Various safety enhancements
•       Supplying and installing Mexeflote pontoon
•       Installing temporary air shelter

In a speech during the ceremony, Australian Cmdre Steve McDowall praised the “seemingly limitless flexibility” and “highly professional performance” of A&P Falmouth and the Cluster Support Team.

In August A&P Falmouth welcomed Australian Defence Minister Jason Clare MP and Australia’s Chief of Navy Ray Griggs to the docks to inspect RFA Largs Bay.

The grey ship, which has become a recognisable sight on the Falmouth skyline, is due to leave the docks later this month, arriving in Fremantle, Australia in mid December.

Gerald Pitts, A&P’s Cluster Director, said: “Building on the successful first of class refit on the Mounts Bay in 2010, the sister vessel to Largs Bay, we were delighted to undertake this project.

“Due to programme changes the Cluster Support Team and the team at A&P had a very tight timescale to develop a specification, plan the work and complete the project, but I am pleased to say work was completed on schedule.

“We learned a great deal during the refit of the RFA Mounts Bay last year. We were able to put these lessons into action while we worked on the RFA Largs Bay and a number of improvements were made. No doubt we will have more improvements to put into practice when we perform the next major refit, which is due on the RFA Lyme Bay next year.”

A&P Group has a contract with the MOD to provide upkeep support to Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships. The partnership has led to a more economical approach to ship repair and maintenance throughout the RFA flotilla, through advanced planning, knowledge of the vessels, continuous improvements in working practices, the reliable quality of work and availability of the docks.

The new approach is estimated to deliver millions of pounds of savings to the MOD over 30 years on the previous arrangements, which saw individual contracts competed for as and when they were required, and has already been praised in Parliament.

Peter Child, Managing Director of A&P Falmouth, said: “The Ministry of Defence has strong ties with Falmouth and we are delighted to celebrate the continuing success of the partnership between A&P Group and the RFA and to showcase what has been achieved.

“The contract helps provide the company – and it’s highly skilled employees – with vital security for the future. We provide excellent value for money, as we proved last year with the RFA Mounts Bay, which was the first ship in its class to undergo a major refit.

“We have a worldwide reputation for excellence and efficiency and continue to develop our resources and invest in our skills base.”

Former Royal Navy and RFA vessels are in considerable demand as a cost effective alternative to new build options. The A&P Group has a good record of regenerating UK MoD vessels and has a specialist team of experts available, not only to regenerate the ships but also to install new equipment and train personnel in its safe and effective operation.

Mr Child said: “As the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary accepts new warships and auxiliaries into the fleet, older ships that still have a service life are potentially very attractive assets for overseas navies.

“Warship regeneration is a complex and demanding requirement and A&P Group has responded to this new business stream by becoming a major provider to the UK MoD and overseas navies in the past three years by returning these ships to service with the new owners.”

Next on the agenda for A&P Falmouth is the major refit of the RFA Cardigan Bay, which arrived in the port in August. Work is due to be completed by January 2012, and will include further improvements and efficiencies identified during work on the RFA Largs Bay.

Planning is also already underway for the RFA Lyme Bay refit period next June.

The group visited the site as part of a fact-finding mission on how to improve health and safety standards within Bangladeshi industry.

Peter Child, Managing Director of A&P Falmouth, said: “As recognised leaders in health and safety, we were delighted to welcome the Bangladeshi civil servants to the docks.

“A&P is the largest private employer in West Cornwall, with 450 employees and the health and safety of our staff is our number one priority. We operate a safety first policy across the dock yard.

“A&P is committed to carrying out its activities in a safe, professional and ethical manner whilst operating in an environmentally responsible way and we are mindful of our responsibilities to our work force and the people, businesses and the surrounding area in which we operate.”
The Bangladeshi contingency were given a tour of the yard and a full health and safety induction. They were shown how A&P Groups deals with the disposal of hazardous materials and shown the importance of basic health and safety procedures, such as wearing a hard hat, overalls and boots.
Kevan Johnston, senior steward for the GMB Union representing 120 docks workers in Falmouth, said: “At A&P our attitude to health and safety is the best in the business – a reputation we are fiercely proud of.
“We are always looking at ways of strengthening our health and safety procedures and constant staff training is vital.

“Any advice we could give that helps improve health and safety in Bangladesh has to be a good thing, and we hope our visitors go home and put some of these procedures into place.”

A&P Group carries out rigorous health and safety, environmental and quality procedures throughout its business including the A&P site in Falmouth. The company provides information, instruction, training and supervision to all employees on an ongoing basis.

A&P ensure that effective systems and processes are implemented and all employees combine safety, health, quality and environmental awareness with good working practices.
A&P Group cooperate at all times with the relevant authorities and regulatory bodies to ensure new developments are adhered to and comply with regulations and environmental laws.

Martin Robertson, Sales and Marketing Manager at A&P Tyne said:

“This is the second iPad 2 we have given away this year.  The prize draws always works well when we exhibit at trade events. The winner is always very pleased to have won too and delighted with their prize – the iPad 2 is obviously still a desirable prize.”

The delighted winner Graeme MacLeod who won after his name was drawn at random was delighted to hear that he had won saying, “Amazing.  And thank you, I was stunned to hear that I’d won.”

For further information on where A&P Group will be attending events and exhibitions visit http://www.ap-group.co.uk/news-events/

The Hebburn yard has just finished repairs to the construction and cable-laying
vessel Acergy Eagle, similar to the work it carried out in the summer to the
Seven Oceans, another pipelay vessel from Subsea 7’s large fleet.

The 138 metre long Acergy Eagle, which can lay cables in waters up to 3000 metres
deep, underwent complex repairs to its tunnel thrusters, which manoeuvre the
vessel from side to side.

The job involved taking apart the engines and removing the numerous parts to be
specially machined, then re-assembling and re-fitting them. The vessel’s hull
was also scraped and blasted clean with a high-pressure water wash to remove
barnacles and marine growth.

Project Director Iain Campbell said: “It’s intricate work which has to be over-seen by
specialists from the manufacturers who made the various parts to ensure
everything is put back together precisely to their specifications.

“The work had to be done to a tight schedule as these are very valuable vessels, a
huge asset to their company, and they don’t want them out of service any longer
than necessary.”

Stewart Boak, managing director of A&P Tyne, said the yard hoped to work  further with Subsea 7.

He said: “This is the second vessel that A&P has secured from Subsea 7 this
year, following on from the Seven Oceans.

“Subsea 7 recently merged with Acergy to become one of the major players in the North Sea, operating over 40 ships worldwide – a very
important customer, who we have supported for a number of years.”

Acergy Eagle, which works on offshore field developments worldwide, was in dry dock
for just over a week before sailing out of the Tyne today (Thursday).

The yard recently completed its part in Britain’s new aircraft carrier, HMS
Queen Elizabeth, ahead of schedule, sending Centre Block 03 – which forms part
of the flight deck and hangar – up to Rosyth last month where the warship is
being assembled.

A&P won a £55million order to build part of the two new carriers, bringing
shipbuilding back to theTyne.

Early next year it will start building part of the hull of the second carrier, HMS
Prince of Wales, on behalf of BAE Portsmouth.