The decision to build the new Mersey ferry at Cammell Laird will have positive ripple effects on the entire local maritime sector, local leaders say.
Plans to build a new passenger vessel for Mersey Ferries - the first for 60 years - were announced last year. Now, after more than 12 months of detailed negotiations, a £26m deal has been agreed between Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and Cammell Laird to see the vessel built solely at the Birkenhead shipyard rather than seeing work shared with the Netherlands.
More than 120 people will work on the “cleaner, greener vessel”, while the yard will also carry out a three week project to refurbish one of the existing ferries, the Royal Iris.
Meanwhile Cammell Laird workers have also managed to secure an 8% pay rise in what unions called “a brilliant victory”.
The ferries, immortalised in the Gerry and the Pacemakers song Ferry Cross The Mersey, remain an important link between Wirral and Liverpool and a popular tourist attraction
Ruth Wood, CEO of Mersey Maritime, said: “This investment marks a significant milestone for the maritime sector in the Liverpool City Region. The partnership between the Combined Authority and Cammell Laird not only reinforces our commitment to sustaining and developing our maritime heritage but also exemplifies the forward-thinking approach necessary for the industry’s growth. It’s brilliant to see the iconic Mersey Ferry being developed at Cammell Laird, a testament to the shipyard’s expertise and the resilience of our maritime workforce.
“The involvement of apprentices in this project is crucial for nurturing the next generation of maritime professionals. This investment ensures that our workforce remains at the forefront of innovation, equipped with the skills needed for the future.
“Mersey Maritime is proud to witness this collaboration and looks forward to the positive ripple effects it will undoubtedly have on the entire maritime ecosystem in the Liverpool City Region.”
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Leader of Wirral Council, Cllr Paul Stuart, said: "Given their extensive maritime legacy and significant contributions to our local economy over the years, the decision to construct the next Mersey Ferry at Cammell Laird is perfect.
“With Cammell Laird building the new ferry in Birkenhead, we uphold our borough's proud maritime heritage and ensure that the economic benefits of the ferry's construction remain within our community, benefiting our workers, local businesses, and suppliers."
David McGinley, chief executive of the APCL Group which includes Cammell Laird, said: “We have always been a global business with a local heart, so it’s fitting that two things which are closely associated with the Mersey – ferries and Cammell Laird – should come together for this latest milestone in the rich maritime heritage of the area.
“It’s a point of pride that we built the last Mersey ferry to enter service and will be doing so again, cementing our place both in the rich history of the Mersey, but equally, in its future too.
“Our apprentices will be working on this project alongside the rest of our highly skilled workforce, and I know this project is something they’ll be equally proud to be involved in.”
Speaking at a meeting with more than 100 apprentices at the Birkenhead plant to announce the deal, : “When I was a kid, I’d never been on a ferry but I knew about them because of the famous song by Gerry Marsden and an old film showing black and white pictures of Liverpool, the Liver Buildings all sooted up with a famous ferry going across the Mersey. They’ve been here for hundreds of years but in the last few generations, they’re really part of the DNA of Liverpool and Wirral.
“We wanted them to be built in Cammell Laird but we can’t just choose, it has to be procured. We found that really problematic but we’ve got to the stage today where all parties are agreed and it’ll be built on the banks of the River Mersey.
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“Our hope is once this is underway, we will then be able to generate enough funding to buy another one and it’ll be very similar to the other one that’s being built now, so it makes it easier for it to be built as it’s a new design. Hopefully then we’ll have two new ferries but we’ll definitely have one in the short term and the long term aim is the ferries will be here for generations.
“The main costs are for the new build but we have to have one of the ferries we’ve got upgraded because they’re starting to show their age, they’re 60 years old or older. A new one will mean we save on the costs of repairing these very old vessels.”
Birkenhead MP Mick Whitley said: "I am absolutely made up at the decision to build the new ferry at Cammell Laird. It will guarantee jobs, not just at the yard but in the wider supply chain and local economy. It will be a real boost to a local economy that has suffered too many blows in the past.”
He added: “The plans for a new ferry have been on the table for discussion for a number of years now. I have worked closely with Steve Rotheram, Cammell Laird boss David McGinley, and the trade unions. My ceaseless lobbying on the issue was to ensure the ferry was built in Birkenhead. To have such an iconic vessel in Merseyside built in the Netherlands was not something either me or Steve Rotheram wanted.
“I made sure all parties knew my determination to change this scenario and together with Steve worked to overcome all the procurement obstacles and legal complications that stood in the way of the boat being built abroad – but fitted out here.”
More than 400 workers at Cammell Laird were reportedly preparing to take industrial action after being offered a 5.5% pay rise but following negotiations, this was increased to 8% with a 2% increase in pension contributions by Cammell Laird and a new 100% sick pay policy.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “This is a brilliant victory at a shipyard that is vital to the security of both shipbuilding jobs in the 海角视频 and to the defence of the nation. Our members should be proud of their hard fought campaign that has seen them win a significant improvement in their pay and conditions and was only made possible by them being prepared to take industrial action.”
Albie McGuigan, GMB organiser, said: “Workers at Cammell Laird demonstrated great unity and commitment throughout their recent campaign to improve pay and conditions. Negotiations were very difficult at times".