UK yard invests in upgrades

The upgrade included increasing the overall length of the slipway and the procurement of a new slipway winch. The company has also built additional offices for attending owners and superintendents. The yard says that the slipway will allow it to provide a full range of emergency repair and planned services including UHP hull cleaning, the application of surface coatings, steel hull repair and replacements, mechanical repairs and full electrical surveys.

McTays MD Peter Breslin said: “Over the last 40 years, McTays has built 120 specialist ships and marine structures. The upgraded slipway will bring larger vessels into our yard and will ensure McTays will go from strength to strength.”

He added that “McTays customers include fishing fleets operating off the UK coast, as well as tugs, crew transfer vessels, passenger ferries and offshore supply and support vessels.”

Work for which new slipway was used has included the Smit Tug Zeebrugge and the Mare Gratia, a 43m mussel dredger, for preparation of the application of surface coatings and mechanical repairs.

At the same time the yard’s shipbuilding division is expanding, with recent projects including a MRV) Vita for Carmet Tugs and a four-barge contract with waste management company Cory Environmental.