- Boris Johnson’s government pledged to ‘bring shipbuilding back to the UK’ as it prepared to finalise its exit from the European Union.
- Now that the UK has left the union, what does the future look like for British shipbuilding?
- The new Appledore yard is expected to employ 350 shipyard workers and provide work to more than 1,000 subcontractors.
A Ship Technology news article by Luke Christou briefs about Brexit, and UK shipbuilding and the big question that revolves around it.
InfraStrata
Last summer, infrastructure group InfraStrata completed a £7m deal to revive North Devon’s Appledore Shipyard.
The deal came 18 months after Babcock International ended its lease at the 150-year-old site after failing to find enough work to sustain it.
New Appledore yard
The new Appledore yard is expected to employ 350 shipyard workers and provide work to more than 1,000 subcontractors.
This will offer relief to a local community that has relied heavily on shipbuilding to provide skilled jobs and fought against the yard’s closure.
The InfraStrata deal
The InfraStrata deal marked a big victory for Boris Johnson’s government, which a year earlier had pledged to ‘bring shipbuilding back to the UK’ as it prepared to finalise its exit from the European Union.
According to trade union GMB’s Turning the Tide report, shipbuilding jobs in the UK have fallen drastically in recent decades, from 122,200 in 1881 down to approximately 31,000 in 2016.
A watershed moment
Now, with Brexit offering a watershed moment, there is an opportunity for the UK government to “evaluate the industry and employment opportunities and how it supports the green agenda”, says Tom Chant, CEO of industry association the Society of Maritime Industries.
Brexit: a positive or a negative for UK shipyards?
Having also purchased famed Northern Irish shipyard Harland and Wolff in 2019, InfraStrata is confident that Brexit will provide a welcome boost to the industry.
From naval patrol ships to assist in the migrant crisis to fishing trawlers as the UK’s fishing quotas increase, InfraStrata expects to see demand for new vessels rise as a result of Brexit.
Brexit presents a lot of uncertainty
However, as in most industries, Brexit presents a lot of uncertainty. It’s too soon to say whether Brexit will be a positive or a negative for the shipbuilding industry, but the government’s increased focus on social value — how spending impacts local communities — in recent years is a positive sign.
As Chant points out, ‘social value’ is mentioned 76 times in the 2018 edition of HM Treasury’s Green Book, which offers guidance on evaluating policies, projects and programmes, compared to zero times in the 2003 edition that it replaced.
Did you subscribe to our daily newsletter?
It’s Free! Click here to Subscribe!
Source: Ship Technology
