Shipyard to lose Cammell Laird name after 123 years

5 hours ago

Marc WaddingtonNorth West

News image — The business was founded in 1903 in a merger of William Laird's ironworks and Charles Cammell & Co

Google Cammell Laird gates, painted black with two yellow silhouettes of camels and the company's name in blue writing on a white background — The business was founded in 1903 in a merger of William Laird's ironworks and Charles Cammell & Co

One of the oldest names in shipbuilding in the world looks set to be consigned to the history books as part of a multi-million pound takeover.

Cammell Laird shipyard in Birkenhead on Merseyside opened in 1903 and apart from two periods of closure in the 1990s and early 2000s, it has been operating almost continuously for nearly 120 years.

But the BBC has learned that as part of a £150m takeover of four sites around the UK by the Balaena Group, it will lose its historical name in favour of being renamed Balaena Birkenhead.

Unite, which represents workers at the shipyard, has been contacted for comment.

William Laird founded the Birkenhead Iron Works in 1824. In 1903, the boiler-making business merged with Charles Cammell & Co, a Sheffield steel business.

Over the past 123 years it has built about 1,350 ships, playing an important role in both world wars - building up to 200 ships in the Second World War, including the HMS Ark Royal.

PA Media A general view of the Cammell Laird shipyard in the river Mersey in Birkenhead, Merseyside. The image shows three large cranes and the wall of a warehouse on which the words Cammell Laird Shipbuilders, Engineers and Repairers is written in large capital letters. — Cammell Laird shipyard is to be renamed as part of a deal worth over £150m

In recent years it has been involved in the construction of Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers for the Royal Navy, and built the polar research ship Sir David Attenborough, which was nearly called Boaty McBoatface after an online naming competition.

The Balaena Group said buying the yard's parent company APCL Group meant it was creating a new "Tier One shipbuilding organisation which can stand shoulder-to-shoulder" with major defence contractors and enable it "to respond quickly to defence and commercial requirements".

PA Media Sir David Attenborough, wearing a hi-vis jacket and white hard hat, standing in front of a yellow crawler vehicle that is carrying the bottom section of the ship that bears his name. The words: "Ship No. 1390 RRS Sir David Attenborough, unit 2000 double bottom centre section" are written on a banner draped across the section. — The RRS Sir David Attenborough polar research vessel was built at Cammell Laird

David McGinley, chief executive of the APCL Group that owned Cammell Laird until the sale, said: "Joining Balaena marks an exciting new chapter for APCL and our workforce.

"It secures the future of our shipyards, allows new investment in digital and green shipbuilding technologies, and renews our commitment to working closely with local communities on Tyne, Birkenhead, and Falmouth to create jobs, apprenticeships, and lasting prosperity."

The Baleana Group also owns a shipyard in Padstow in Cornwall and the dockyard complex Gibdock in Gibraltar.

Simon Gillett, founder and chief executive of the Balaena Group, added: "By uniting Balaena's vision and ambition with APCL's skilled teams in Tyne, Birkenhead, and Falmouth, we are strengthening the UK's ability to deliver for both the Royal Navy and the global commercial maritime sector, while investing in the next generation of British shipbuilders and engineers".

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