General Manager at A&P Birkenhead Martin Drye commented, 'Our workforce has moved swiftly to ensure that the drydock was available immediately. Our engineers are working with the owner's superintendent to ensure the vessel has a speedy return to active service'.

Meanwhile, the A&P Group has commenced operations in Scotland following its July purchase of Craig Group Ship Repairing in Aberdeen from the George Craig Group. Renamed the River Dee Ship Repairers, the drydock facility got off to a flying start in its new incarnation with emergency dockings by the P&O North Sea Ferrie's vessel St Sunniva and the offshore supply vessel Smit Lloyd Fortune.

Later in July, the 2,900dwt offshore supply vessel Torm Heron arrived for a scheduled drydocking and repair programme. Wo rk undertaken included extensive survey and maintenance work, main engine overhaul, tail shaft removal and hull blasting and painting.

Last month the yard completed a successful drydock and repair programme on the 4,400dwt LPG carrier Tarquin Mariner, which arrived for a sale docking following purchase by Denmark's Lauritzen Kosan.

Repairs involved hull blasting and painting, including the change of livery, main engine overhaul and repair to the main engine flywheel, lifeboat davit repairs and testing, and various tank steelwork repairs.

Booked into River Dee Ship Repairers for the immediate future are North Star Shipping's 576grt offshore supply vessel 'Grampian Monarch' and the 3,040 grt inter-island ferry Hebridean Isles, which represents the fourth Caledonian MacBrayne vessel to be repaired by the shipyard this year.

MJ Information No: 17414