H&W completes first Cory barge

The July 2022 announcement was the second of a two stage order from Cory for 12 barges valued at £9.6 million (€10.9 million) followed an initial £8.5 million 11 barge order the previous month. More recently, Cory ordered two additional Damen Shoalbuster tugs to join its Thames fleet (MJ February 2023).

The expansion for Cory follows the financial close for Riverside 2, its second Energy from Waste (EfW) facility, adjacent to Riverside 1 in Belvedere, South London. Riverside 2 will create around 140 new jobs and be one of the UK’s largest EfW facilities diverting around 650,000t of non-recyclable waste from landfill annually, converting it into enough electricity to power up to 140,000 homes. Emissions reduction is a priority for Cory, who says Riverside 2 will have the lowest nitrogen oxide levels of any EfW facility.

H&W describes the first barge completion as a “major milestone” supporting the ramping up of the workforce and associated skills for its seven-year, £1.6 billion (€1.8 billion) Fleet Solid Support warship programme.

The first barge now moves into the painting hall prior to delivery in coming months. The second barge will soon be completed with work on the following two well advanced, fabrication being conducted simultaneously through the production hall on all vessels. The fully fabricated barges will be sequentially delivered to Cory on the River Thames, completion of the entire build programme scheduled for around mid-2023.

H&W group chief executive officer John Wood said: “It is fantastic to walk round the fabrication halls in Belfast and see them being a hive of activity with our apprentices putting into practice the skills they have learned from our experienced workforce.

“It has been fascinating to watch the adoption of new technology with our twin headed robotic welding line delivering production improvements by a magnitude of four to six times against conventional production and welding methods. I am very encouraged with the progress being made and it is the perfect stepping stone towards full scale shipbuilding.”