Civils contractor ISC has been awarded a £34 million contract by waste management company Cory to build a Waste Transfer Station (WTS) on the River Thames in Barking.

The “River Road” project will see an existing riverside site modernised – including a safeguarded wharf and waste site.

One of two berths, Rippleway Wharf, is also set to be reconstructed to allow container stacking and the loading of barges.

The River Road project forms part of Cory’s “Riverside 2” development which aims to build a 550,000 tonne Energy from Waste (EfW) plant in Belvedere on the south side of the river.

ISC – the civil engineering arm of materials group GRS Group – is the principal contractor for the project.

The Barking WTS will provide additional capacity for handling and transporting waste heading to Riverside 2 – which is transported via tugs and barges on the Thames and the River Roding. This aspect of Riverside 2 is expected to remove 80,000 lorry movements from London’s streets.

ISC has also committed to using Thames barges for the removal of most of its demolition waste and the delivery of construction materials.

Chris Girdham, development director at Cory, said: “We are pleased to be working with ISC on this project, which will bring over £50 million of investment into Barking and maximise the potential of the site.

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Britain’s decision to issue dozens of new oil and gas exploration licences is being challenged in court by a marine conservation organisation, which argues ministers unlawfully failed to consider the impact on marine life.

Oceana UK is taking legal action over 31 licences issued under Britain’s previous government in May this year as part of the North Sea Transition Authority‘s latest oil and gas licensing round.

An exploration licence does not necessarily result in a producing field, though environmental groups argue that expansion of oil and gas production is inconsistent with the government’s target to become a net-zero carbon economy by 2050.

Oceana and other members of the Ocean Alliance Against Offshore Drilling this week wrote to Britain’s Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, asking him to concede Oceana’s legal challenge.

“By conceding the case, the government can make good on promises made to the public and signal a clear departure from the previous administration’s continuing reliance on fossil fuels,” they wrote.

Britain’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero declined to comment.

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UK Docks Marine Services has been awarded a £4million contract to service and maintain the Royal Navy’s new fleet of workboats.

The company, which delivers marine services nationwide and supports the navy globally, will run the operation from its Gosport base with work being carried out at Gosport in Portsmouth Harbour and Cremyll in Devon.

The UK Ministry of Defence has received 38 workboats as part of Project Vahana, (an ambitious £45 million modernisation programme of its small boat flotilla), and the vessels have already delivered a whole new range of operational benefits.

However, serving and maintaining them will be key and the Royal Navy hopes the initial two-year contract between MOD procurement arm Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) will eventually lead to the seamless running of the vessels over the long term.

UK Docks already services and maintains multiple navy vessels and is proud to have extended its role.

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The UK’s most northern point finally joins the country’s electric grid, reducing dependency on local fossil fuel stations

The Shetland Islands, the UK’s northernmost point, has been connected to the GB electricity grid for the first time through subsea cables.

The Shetlands lie some 110 miles from mainland Scotland and had previously relied on its own local sources for power generation, including two fossil-fuel power stations.

The islands are now connected to the national grid via a 260km high-voltage direct current (HVDC) link installed by SSEN Transmission.

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Applications have opened for the latest Maritime Accelerator programme, supporting innovators with pioneering solutions to some of the sector’s toughest challenges.

Up to eight UK SME businesses will be supported in a five-month programme to help develop innovations and progress them towards commercial readiness. Successful applicants will be able to receive between £10,000 and £20,000 of funding to trial solutions with a programme partner; along with business and investment support, coaching, and mentoring provided by the Connected Places Catapult.

Now in its third year, this year the Maritime Accelerator is focusing on four challenge areas: power, propulsion and vessel operations; shore side technology and infrastructure; safety and security; and resource management.

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Ardersier Port Haventus Limited , the owner of Ardersier Port, has secured a £100m joint credit facility, made up of £50m each from the Scottish National Investment Bank and UK Infrastructure Bank.

The facility aims to underpin the creation of an infrastructure facility to support industrial-scale deployment of fixed and floating offshore wind.

Construction has now begun on the site, which includes the development of a new 650-metre quay wall and associated quayside.

Based in the Moray Firth, Ardersier Port is well located to support offshore wind developers and manufacturers of offshore wind components and equipment, as the circa 35 GW of ScotWind and INTOG project pipeline is built out.

Sitting within the Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport, Ardersier should be able to offer a 450-acre site with quayside access and suitable infrastructure for marshalling, integration, manufacturing, and assembly of offshore wind.

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In their latest article, Navy Lookout, considers the potential upgrade projects at Devonport to accommodate Royal Navy warships into the next few decades.

Devonport is fundamental the operation of the RN and is the largest naval support facility in Western Europe. The site can be divided into two main parts, the Naval Base which is owned by the UK Ministry of Defence and supports active vessels of the Surface Flotilla and ships undergoing Operational Sea Training. The base also includes HMS Drake, home to about 3,000 personnel and has Single Living Accommodation for 1,800 sailors and marines.

The Dockyard, the main focus of the article, is a separate entity, owned and operated by Babcock International Group as a centre of deep maintenance and upkeep for surface ships, submarines and amphibious vessels as well as providing Fleet Time Engineering Support.

The ‘One Devonport’ blueprint was published in 2021 and outlines proposed changes that may take place over a long period, equipping the base until the 2050s. The biggest element of the development work is the £750M Submarine Waterfront Infrastructure (SWIF) project which is now underway.

What is still less certain is exactly how frigate and other major warship support will be conducted although there are a few options that are under consideration, subject to costs and feasibility.

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Scotland has become the central hub for constructing all major surface ships of the Royal Navy, highlighted during a ministerial visit that emphasised the vital role of apprentices in advancing British shipbuilding.

The Minister for Defence Procurement, James Cartlidge MP, toured facilities in Govan and Rosyth, observing the construction of HMS Cardiff, HMS Glasgow, HMS Venturer, and HMS Active.

During his visits, Cartlidge met with workers and over 180 apprentices, witnessing the progression of the Type 26 frigates in Govan and Scotstoun, and inspecting the Type 31 frigates at Rosyth.

Babcock International Group, under CEO David Lockwood, is set to recruit over 500 apprentices during the construction phase, with more than 180 apprentices and 3,500 employees already working at their Scottish sites. Additionally, Babcock has invested £35 million in the new digitally enabled Venturer Building at Rosyth, designed to enhance productivity by allowing parallel construction of two Type 31 frigates.

BAE Systems is also making significant investments, with 600 apprentices and graduates employed in Glasgow, and plans to recruit nearly 2,700 more across the UK by 2024. The construction of a new £12 million Applied Shipbuilding Academy at their Scotstoun shipyard is part of a broader £300 million investment aimed at enhancing skills and adopting new technologies.

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The Government is committed to providing a safe, secure, sustainable, and cost-effective solution for the disposal of the UK’s legacy, current and future out-of-service nuclear-powered submarines. In line with this, the UK Ministry of Defence has established the Submarine Disposal Capability (SDC) Project to conduct a strategic review of its Submarine Disposal Programme.

SDC launched a series of Early Market Engagement events on the 6 July 2023 and concluding on 2 November 2023 through Project Notice 61606792 (Themed Market Engagement Days – Submarine Disposal) to inform a long-term Submarine Disposal Programme. A follow-on market engagement will now be held on 6 June 2024 (1400-1700) where the SDC Project team will provide an update to the programme.

For further information or to register your attendance at the event, to be held remotely on Microsoft Teams, please send the following information to SDA-SDC@mod.gov.uk no later than 1700 on 30 May 2024.

• Company name
• Full Name of attendee
• Job Title
• Email Address
• Contact telephone number
• Proof of Nationality (e.g., scanned copy of UK Passport photo ID page)

Please be aware all attendees must be UK Nationals and the event will be held at OFFICAL.

UK Export Finance (UKEF) has closed its first ever transaction supporting overseas oil and gas decommissioning, securing finance for a major contract which benefits over 70 Scottish firms.

The export credit agency has issued a $7.5 million guarantee which allows Brazilian contractor Ocyan to secure financing from ABC International Bank plc for new equipment from Scottish business Maritime Developments Limited Ltd (MDL).

Based in Aberdeen, MDL is a specialist in subsea pipelaying which provides consultancy, equipment and personnel to the energy sector. It won the 2022 Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the International Trade category.

Supported by early-stage discussions with UKEF, Ocyan ordered MDL equipment in 2022 so that it could deliver a decommissioning contract in Brazil.

Ocyan has since used the Scottish company’s Wheeled Horizontal Lay System technology to remove hundreds of kilometres of subsea cables and pipes from defunct FPSO oil and gas rigs in Brazilian waters.

The newly agreed $7.5 million guarantee means that Ocyan can now finance the MDL contract on a reimbursement basis, boosting its access to working capital.

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