Swansea Drydocks: First Ship!

Swansea Drydocks (SDL) has just completed its first docking and repair contract on the Terra Marique, a towed sea-going barge owned by Robert Wynn and Sons Ltd. Built in 2004 by Damen Shipyards in the Netherlands, the barge’s unique design, which combines state-of-the-art technology with traditional marine and heavy transport engineering, maximises the utilisation of UK and European ports, rivers and inland waterways.

The vessel, which has a length of 80m and a breadth of 16.5m, required routine dry docking combined with servicing and repairs.

The dry docking work ranged from blasting and painting of the hull through to maintenance operations on the vessel’s thrusters and stern ramp. Routine steelwork repairs were also carried out, along with the removal, overhaul and replacement of the vessel’s alternators. SDL also assisted with the servicing the safety equipment.

On 26 January, the freshly painted and serviced Terra Marique left the dry dock facility in top condition.

Source: Swanseadry Docks. 26 January 2012

http://www.swanseadrydocks.com/news-details.asp?Auto_ID=7

Environmental Permit Has Been Issued : Swansea Drydocks

Today, the Environment Agency issued Swansea Drydocks’ (SDL) Environmental Permit.

Since April, when preparations for the  launch of the new facility began, we have invested over £1million on infrastructure to ensure safe and environmentally sound ship repair and recycling operations. We have considered, planned, and implemented plans not only for the infrastructure, but also for our management, quality, health, safety and environmental systems and our operational techniques. We have also established a highly skilled management team, which is still growing, and a core team of employees, which will certainly grow over the next few months.

In addition, our capital expenditure plans include major investment in machinery and equipment, demonstrating our long term commitment to developing a successful and sustainable business in Swansea.

We are now ready to begin operations, and look forward to growing a thriving business that we and Swansea will be proud of.

Source: swansea drydocks. 19 December 2011

http://www.swanseadrydocks.com/news-details.asp?Auto_ID=5

Residents against Swansea-Drydocks shipbreaking bid intensify battle:

MARINA residents are stepping up their fight against a planned shipbreaking firm in Swansea.

The public have until next Wednesday to submit comments to Environment Agency Wales (EAW) about Swansea Drydocks Ltd's plans.

The agency, which has already issued the company a draft permit, will then assess the responses before making a final decision.

If it awards a full permit, Swansea Drydocks will be ready to start its dismantling and repair operations at the city's Prince of Wales Dry Dock.

Despite bringing jobs, it would not be a popular move with the Maritime Quarter Residents' Association, which discussed the plans at its recent meeting.

Chairman Keith Evans said people were unaware of the potential hazards and risks he claimed the plans could pose to local lives, and accused the EAW of failing to consult the people of Swansea about the scheme.

"The consultation process meant that EAW inserted an announcement in the Evening Post that an application had been received to operate a shipbreaking yard," he said.

"They also made documents available at their offices in Llandarcy and at the Civic Centre, hoping that people would find out about this contentious application. Such actions could hardly, I believe, be called consultation with the people."

Mr Evans said the EAW would be better off fulfilling its vision of creating "a better place for people and wildlife, for present and for future generations" rather than awarding such a permit.

He felt there were concerns about how the impact of the operation would be measured, claiming the EAW would base any environmental impact on "baseline figures" compiled by Swansea Drydocks during the first shipbreaking contract.

Posters are being distributed to flats and homes in the marina and to businesses in SA1.

An EAW spokeswoman said: "The views of the community are important to us. We are currently in the middle of the second phase of consultation to give people the opportunity to highlight any issues which they feel we have not yet considered. As part of the initial consultation, we consulted with a number of local organisations and received over 50 comments from local residents. These have been considered in our draft decision.

"We have made a thorough assessment of this application and have set the highest environmental standards to make sure that the proposed facility will not pose a threat to local people or the environment."

Swansea Drydocks has spent money refurbishing the dry dock and has said it will create 85 jobs and launch a world-class recycling and repair facility. The firm declined to comment further.

Source: South Wales Evening Post. By Richard Youle (richard.youle@swwmedia.co.uk). 18 November 2011.

http://www.thisissouthwales.co.uk/Residents-ship-breaking-bid-intensify-battle/story-13883688-detail/story.html

Metal: Swansea Drydocks gets permission for ship recycling facility

Environment Agency Wales is likely to give Swansea Drydocks (SDL) permission to operate a ship repair and recycling facility subject to a final consultation.

SDL hopes to invest £4 million into the facility that will dismantle ships to extract scrap metal from them.

Environment Agency Wales has given permission for the facility to begin operation, but this is only a draft decision and it will undertake a further consultation. Unless any further information comes forward from the public that forces Environment Agency Wales to change its decision, it will proceed with its decision.

In a statement, the company said: “Phase one of SDL’s £4 million capital investment plan will soon be completed, including over £1 million spent on infrastructure improvements that meet environmental best practice, and new machinery and equipment is on order.

“Ships for recycling will begin arriving as soon as authorisation has been obtained by the Environment Agency.”

Source: Scrap-Ex News. By Paul Sanderson. 27 October 2011

http://www.scrap-ex.com/news_events/news/metal/swansea_drydocks_gets_permission_ship_recycling_facility.html

Welcome to Swansea Drydocks!

Since April 2011, when we took over the lease of the site, we have been working hard on making refurbishments, concreting the site, gaining our certificates and permissions, buying equipment and making contacts in the world of ship repair and recycling.  We are just about ready to begin.  Please keep coming back to the website for news updates, new photos and job postings.

Press release, 25 October 2011

http://www.swanseadrydocks.co.uk/news-details.asp?Auto_ID=2

About the Company:

Swansea Drydocks’ history of ship repair dates back to the early 20th century. Prince of Wales Dry Dock 2, previously known as Palmers Dry Dock, was established in 1923, and Prince of Wales Dry Dock 1, formerly known as the Duke of Edinburgh Dry Dock, was built in 1958. Historically, the dry docks have been operated by a number of companies, including CH Bailey, Prince of Wales Dry Dock Company, Trushippers, Bristol Channel Ship Repairers, Uglands, George Prior Engineering and Harris Pye, until the acquisition by the Dunn family to create Swansea Drydocks Ltd.

Until recently, the family owned and managed Dunn Brothers (1995) Ltd, one of the largest metal recyclers in the UK. The company, which was originally set up in 1962 by Alan Dunn and his brothers, was restructured in 1995, when sons Karl and David Dunn joined the business. Dunn Brothers (1995) invested strongly in modern technology and owned seven recycling centres in the Midlands, South Wales, South East England, and South West England. In both 2005 and 2007 the company won the Queen's Award for Enterprise, International Trade and in 2009, was recognised as a Sunday Times Top Track 250 company. In May 2011, the company was sold to Sims Metal, enabling Alan Dunn (Chairman), Karl Dunn (Managing Director) and David Dunn (Operations Director), to focus on developing and growing the dry docks company.

Once operational Swansea Drydocks will offer complete lifecycle services, from surveys, ongoing maintenance and repairs through to recycling end of life vessels. We are currently in the process of establishing the BS EN ISO 9001:2008, ISO 14001:2004 and BS OHSAS 18001:2007, which we aim to achieve by Q1 of 2012.

With our newly refurbished facilities and convenient location in the Port of Swansea we offer an attractive proposition to ship owners seeking high quality, reliable and environmentally responsible services.

Building on Swansea’s history of marine engineering craftsmanship, Swansea Drydocks’ vision is to create a world class ship repair and recycling facility that conforms to European standards for quality, environment and health and safety. Our services cover the full life cycle of a ship, from preparing the Inventory of Hazardous Materials and ongoing repair and maintenance, through to end of life ship recycling.

Services:

Swansea Drydocks offers 3 main services:

1. Inventory of Hazardous Materials (IHM)

2. Ship Repair, Maintenance and Conversion Services

3. Ship Recycling

1. Inventory of Hazardous Materials (IHM)

The Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships was adopted in May 2009, with the aim of improving standards of safety and reducing environmental pollution resulting from the recycling of ships.

The IHM – also known as the Green Passport - is currently voluntary, however once the convention is in place owners of all new and existing ships weighing over 500GT will be required to maintain the inventory. The IHM provides information on the hazardous materials present on board, in order to protect health and safety and to prevent environmental pollution at ship recycling facilities. This information is used by recycling facilities to decide how to manage the types and amounts of materials identified in the IHM. The IHM accompanies the ship throughout its operating life and incorporates all relevant design and equipment changes, with the final owner delivering the document, with the ship, to the recycling facility. Swansea Drydocks will soon offer shipyards and owners IHM services for both new and existing ships.

Services include:

• Managing the IHM survey process
• Completing the IHM and coordinating with the ship’s classification society
• Coordinating IHM surveys with other surveys requirements
• Making recommendations for ongoing reduction of hazardous materials in line with legislation, policy and end-of-life strategy
• Planned IHM alterations, coordinated with annual maintenance and repair activities
• Continual through life management, through to final disposal

2. Ship Repair, Maintenance and Conversion Services

• Routine docking work for hull coating renewal, other required underwater work, repairs, steelwork renewals and major refits.
• Damage repairs, where extensive work, particularly to the ship’s structure, may be required. SDL offers comprehensive machining and manufacturing facilities, with machine and rebuilds undertaken.
• Conversions, involving refitting ships for a different use.

3. Ship Recycling:

Swansea Drydocks will offer environmentally responsible ship recycling services, including:

• Surveys: Hazardous chemicals surveys, investigation of tank and fuel systems, asbestos surveys, vessel surveys
• Planning: Ballast management plan, asbestos contaminated materials removal plan, method statements for the removal of all hazardous wastes from the vessel, dismantling plan
• Towing and dry docking
• Wet berth or dry dock hazardous waste/asbestos contaminated materials removal
• Tank and pipe cleaning
• Recovery of reusable materials and equipment
• Dry dock dismantling, hull cutting and scrap metal processing

Facilities:

Swansea Drydocks is situated in the Port of Swansea and easily accessible by the major shipping routes including the Atlantic, English Channel, Irish Sea and Bristol Channel.

Located in the Kings Dock which forms part of Swansea Bay, the site comprises two main operational areas connected by a road. The main area provides the Prince of Wales dry docks, waste processing and storage facilities as well as buildings, infrastructure and parking. The second area, which is located in the Queen’s Dock Basin, provides the Phoenix Wharf Repairing Berth, and additional waste storage facilities will be developed in the future.

The facility’s 2 dry docks are large enough to accept most ships:

Prince of Wales Dry Dock 1

Length: 204.5m

Breadth: 27.8m

Prince of Wales Dry Dock 2

Length: 170.7m

Breadth: 22.36m

In addition, vessels of up to 266m in length can be accommodated at the repair berth.

The normal water level in the King’s and Queen’s Docks is 10.5m, therefore capable of accommodating very large draft ships.

Contact Details:

Swansea Drydocks Ltd

Prince of Wales Drydocks

Swansea

SA1 1LY

Tel: 01792 654592

Email: info@swanseadrydocks.com

Registration number: 6925673

Source: Swansea Dry Docks Website

http://www.swanseadrydocks.co.uk/

City's cautious welcome for dry docks firm:

EASTSIDE politicians have welcomed the prospect of new jobs at the city's dry docks.

It comes after the Environment Agency said it was likely to award a permit to a ship breaking and repair company there.

But local councillors have also urged the agency to closely monitor the site at Phoenix Wharf when Swansea Drydocks begins operating, should a permit be issued.

St Thomas councillor Alan Robinson said: "Hopefully they (Swansea Drydocks) will fulfil the promises they are making.

"I wish them well, and I hope that they employ some local people and keep the place tidy. I am mindful we might get ships that no one else wants."

He said his only real concern was the site's proximity to a fertiliser storage plant. Swansea Drydocks has said any risk of explosion is considered to be insignificant and that fire breaks will be placed around combustible materials.

Fellow St Thomas councillor Mervyn Jones backed job creation but was not convinced a shipbreaking and repair yard was the best thing for the SA1 area.

"With the economic climate as it is any work is good — but at what cost?" he said. "As long as the Environment Agency keeps monitoring, that's fine."

An agency spokesman said: "We have given careful consideration to this application and we have drafted a permit which requires Swansea Drydocks to conform to the highest environmental standards and to operate in a way which will protect the community and environment."

The company has planning permission to use Phoenix Wharf. It said it was spending more than £1 million refurbishing the site and that ships for recycling would begin arriving as a permit had been obtained.

The long-term aim was to recruit and train a full-time workforce.

"The company aims to cover the full life cycle of a ship, from conducting surveys and ongoing repair and maintenance through to recycling," said a spokeswoman.

"We are committed to creating a world-class ship repair and recycling facility."

The firm's plans have caused some upset, though. Corinne McGill, of Port Tennant, said: "It's not good. We have got more than enough dirty industry in the docks."

Source: This is South Wales. By Richard Youle. (richard.youle@swwmedia.co.uk). 28 October 2011

http://www.thisissouthwales.co.uk/City-s-cautious-welcome-dry-docks-firm/story-13686703-detail/story.html

Press Release: Environmental Permit for Swansea Dry Docks Limited

Swansea Drydocks (SDL) is delighted that the Environment Agency has advertised the draft permit and their decision document, which informs the public that the agency is minded to issue the company with an Environmental Permit.  Ships for recycling will begin arriving as soon as authorisation has been obtained by the Environment Agency.

Phase 1 of SDL’s £4m capital investment plan will soon be completed, including over £1m spent on infrastructure improvements that meet environmental best practice, and new machinery and equipment is on order.

The company intends to begin operations, including both ship recycling and ship repair work, in a systematic and controlled manner. To enhance its management team, SDL is currently interviewing technical managers with specific areas of expertise, and further jobs will be advertised on the new website www.swanseadrydocks.com, in the future. Whilst in the short term, many aspects of the work will be done in collaboration with highly experienced suppliers of ship repair and recycling services, the longer term aim is to recruit and train a full time, multi-skilled workforce and to handle most aspects of the work internally.

SDL has spent over two years gaining permissions and certificates, developing and implementing site plans, researching and selecting appropriate machinery and making contacts with potential suppliers and customers. Its’ vision remains constant – SDL is committed to creating a world class ship repair and recycling facility that conforms to European standards for quality, environment and health and safety. The company aims to cover the full life cycle of a ship, from conducting ship surveys and ongoing repair and maintenance, through to end of life ship recycling, and it aims to work in partnership with the people of Swansea and Wales to achieve this vision.

Source: Swansea Dry Docks. 26 October 2011

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