Appledore shipyard to reopen after £7m rescue

‘We are absolutely delighted’

THE Appledore shipyard, where vessels have been built for almost two centuries, is to reopen after being rescued in a £7m deal.

The historic site near Bideford in Devon has been bought by Infrastrata, the company that owns the Harland & Wolff yard in Belfast where the Titanic was built.

Appledore, where more than 350 ships have been built, including sections of the £3bn aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth, was previously operated by Babcock but closed in March 2019.

It will now operate as Harland & Wolff (Appledore), dealing with smaller vessels than the giant Belfast site. Infrastrata said that while the yard only comes with one employee – the current site manager – the workforce can be ‘quickly ramped up’ if contracts for work are secured.

Discussions are under way with the Government and private vessel owners, said InfraStrata , which is hoping Government departments will choose a British yard for work on planned vessels.

The yard also hopes to secure work on wind farm projects.

Infrastrata chief executive John Wood said: ‘The acquisition is opportunistic and one that should not be missed. It not only gives us a strategic foothold in mainland UK but also makes the overall business highly competitive in the smaller and higher ends of the shipyard market.’

GMB union organiser Matt Roberts said: ‘We are absolutely delighted that the yard will reopen. We always firmly believed that the yard can be viable and thrive in the right hands.’