Weymouth College

Portland Harbour Authority Concession for Ship Repair Yard

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• published: 03 Jul 2013
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Portland Harbour Authority is looking for a partner to set up and operate a major commercial shipyard at Portland Harbour in Dorset, on the south coast of England, on the English Channel. It's a big opportunity for an investor to create a successful North West European ship repair facility, with floating dry docks. Find out more in this video, which includes Portland Harbour Authority Ltd CEO Steve Davies; The Rt Hon Oliver Letwin MP, Minister for Government Policy; Rear Admiral Chris Parry; and Liz Myles, Principal, Weymouth College. For a brochure, email: projects@portland-port.co.uk or call +44 (01)305 824044 Video summary: STEVE DAVIES: "There is strong demand and we are excellently positioned, both commercially and geographically." Portland Harbour is within 20 miles of the main European shipping lanes in NW Europe, and close to major cross-channel lanes. It's only 69 miles north of Cherbourg in France, and it's easy to connect by sea from Portland to the main European hub ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp. Portland Harbour is a naturally protected area of deep water. With 3.5 miles of massive breakwaters, it's also the second largest man-made harbour in the world. Vessels can come and go at all times. There are no tidal constraints. Pilotage time is just 30 minutes. It's an easy deviation to and from Portland harbour, for any of the hundreds of vessels that use the main English Channel and Cross-Channel shipping lanes every day. The harbour serves vessels as a one-stop-shop for a very wide range of skills and services. It's a successful enterprise. Portland Harbour Authority's ship repair concession is a long-term opportunity for an investor to develop a major North West European ship repair yard with floating dry docks. The authority would like to see a shipyard up and running in 18 months' time. All the permissions required to go ahead with a ship repair concession for at least 30 years have already been obtained. For the investor, this means there's no risk -- no uncertainty -- no time delays -- in establishing a new Portland ship repair facility. STEVE DAVIES: "We're looking for a partner who has the knowledge, experience and skills to operate a commercial shipyard, preferably with floating dry docks to deliver a high-quality, cost-effective service to the marine industry." Portland Harbour Authority has a good track record of establishing long-term relationships with major inward investors (such as Global Marine and Aegean Marine Petroleum Network). Up to 1000 people are employed on the Portland harbour estate, through 25 tenant businesses. Market research now indicates strong potential demand for a new shipyard. Over 95% of 300 ship owners said they would be interested in using Portland harbour for ship repairs. OLIVER LETWIN MP: "I very much hope that this project will attract the investment it needs because I think it should be a huge success. Portland already does a fantastic job and could do more." REAR ADMIRAL CHRIS PARRY: "Portland is a thriving commercial port on the south coast of England, on one of the busiest shipping routes of the world. "I believe that Portland has the unrivalled opportunity to be a world-class basing, maintenance and repair facility which can handle ships up to the scale of aircraft carriers and the largest cruise ships." Portland Harbour Authority's favoured site for development is The Queen's Pier (recently conserved, upgraded and strengthened at a cost of nearly £5 million). Portland harbour is the only port in the UK that can accommodate two or more Panamax-sized floating dry docks. There is also potential for Aframax-sized floating dry docks. The pier's berths can easily accommodate service vessels and pontoons. Landside paved areas can host ancillary shipyard activities. A skilled, reliable and flexible labour force is available for marine-related services. LIZ MYLES: "Weymouth College has substantial experience in marine engineering and shipyard work, the key skill areas for the shipyard repair facility at Portland. "Weymouth College would welcome the opportunity to support the shipyard by providing training in our world-class facilities." Big investments have been made in local transport. A road costing nearly £90 million was built ahead of 2012 Olympic Games sailing events, held in Portland Harbour and Weymouth Bay. The number of Portland summer season cruise calls is expected to rise to 20 or more a year. The harbour is controlled through a modern and well-equipped harbour office. Portland Harbour is a highly secure environment, and one that's now ideally placed to expand into the large ship repair market. There is currently a shortage of dry docking facilities in NW Europe convenient, and cost-effective, to shipping using the English Channel. Portland Harbour offers excellent possibilities for planned dockings, major ship repair and conversions, as well as emergency repair visits.