Reinstate Sunderland Shipbuilding

[Kevj]

Agree with you sadly. The reasons it will not happen are many. The main hurdle is the massive, long term, funding this will require. The levels needed will be too big to sustain.
I was involved in Rosebank project (Chevron Aberdeen) before it was shelved. Whilst not on this scale the subsidies being offered to buy the line pipe from Tata Teesside, and use coaters near Edinburgh, were huge. Ultimately didn't happen. The numbers are simply too big with so little chance of a long term return.

In my current role I am dealing with fabricators in China (not shipbuilding, but large scale spool manufacture) and in my previous was involved in massive module packages built in Korea. What I can say with 100% certainty is this country will never be able to compete commercially with either. Add in Japan to the mix. MHI are subsidies to incredible levels by the Japanese Govt. They still struggle to compete.

I can only mirror your comments and experience unfortunately. The cost to reintroduce large scale heavy industry and s too prohibitive. Companies like BAE exist only because of significant government funding. They are almost nationalised companies as they wouldn’t exist on their own merits (certainly for government funded projects anyway).

Korea isn’t just ahead of us, they’re light years ahead based on advances in technology, basic infrastructure and as similar as working practices.

We can’t compete even in established yards, let alone one with no workforce, no river and no contracts.

 

[vinegar hill]

@Vauxie the ropery off Roker avenue was speedings in whickham street, the ropery under the Alex bridge was Webster's down Deptford.

The big ropery was Bridons or British Ropes which was on Roker Avenue and went right back to Portobella Lane.

 

[Teed]

Fuck me my marbles have gone.
Ropery was down Roker Ave and there was a lane off there where Sunderland Glassblowers was.
Pyrex and Doxys was over the bridge weren't they?

There was a Ropery down Roker Avenue, but the older Ropery was on the riverside under the Alex bridge, Deptford, with a section of Pyrex, behind that, so your marbles are intact mate.

 

[Weremuthe]

There was a Ropery down Roker Avenue, but the older Ropery was on the riverside under the Alex bridge, Deptford, with a section of Pyrex, behind that, so your marbles are intact mate.

British Ropes was down Roker Avenue and became Bridon Ropes British Ropes - Wikipedia

 

[BackhouseParkRangers]

Givower man.
Lads who worked in the yards are at least in their 50s now. How many remained in comparable industries? Of those how many wad be willing to leave those industries/jobs at their age to work outside for 48 weeks a year? The ones I know certainly wadnt. Those involved in management will be dead or way with the fairies by now anarl.

I’m 42, served my time as a pipe fitter welder - yards were long shut by then.

Worked in a ship repair yard and loads of the old Swan Hunter lads who had worked in ship building were rough AF and couldn’t even work off an isometric drawing.

 

[Tuono]

The only Ropery I remember was down Roker Avenue. Didn't a boy fall through the roof of the disused factory and die sometime in the late 70's or early 80's.

 

[Lumber]

The Ropery is under the QA bridge pretty much on the south side.

Pyrex is now housing between Millfield and Deptford.

Some of it was

 

[Cheesy Feet]

I’m 42, served my time as a pipe fitter welder - yards were long shut by then.

Worked in a ship repair yard and loads of the old Swan Hunter lads who had worked in ship building were rough AF and couldn’t even work off an isometric drawing.

I worked in the Shipyards in Sunderland and i'd never seen an Isometric drawing till i went to work at AMEC in 1991..got a crash course in how to use one for when i had to go out and locate a pipe to inspect.