Birkenhead shipyard and engineering firm joins the Port of Liverpool on a shortlist of 65 UK sites looking to be the locations pre-assembly hubs for the construction of the runway. Tony McDonough reports

Heathrow Airport executives will visit Mersey shipyard and engineering firm Cammell Laird as it seeks pre-assembly hubs for the construction of the airport’s proposed new £16bn third runway.

LBN reported back in November that the Birkenhead-based business was on a 65-strong shortlist along with the Port of Liverpool. Both were picked from a list of 121 applicants.

Four locations will eventually be selected and the will pre-assemble components of the expanded airport before transporting them in consolidated loads to Heathrow.

Join Cammell Laird’s bid for Navy’s £1.25bn new frigates contracts – click to read more

Two sites owned by Cammell Laird – Campbeltown Road and the MEA Park Wirral Waters in Beaufort Road – as well as the Port of Liverpool in Seaforth are on the list.

National tour

A high-level team of Heathrow executives, headed by chairman, Lord Deighton, will visit each of the sites in the first half of this year to make detailed assessments.

Although the Government has not yet given the final go-ahead for the runway it remains the preferred option for airport capacity expansion in the South East. Liverpool John Lennon Airport is also backing the plan in the hope of securing a new global hub air link.

Heathrow third runway crucial for the Liverpool city region, says Metro Mayor – Click to read more

Heathrow says bidders will not only need to illustrate engineering prowess, they will also need to demonstrate a skilled and dedicated workforce, capability to collaborate on the nationwide project and good connectivity allowing output to be easily transported to Heathrow.

Strong bid

Cammell Laird energy division’s managing director Jonathan Brown said the company has tabled a strong bid for Heathrow, as it looks to diversify into new sectors supplying large modular build structures and engineering services.

“Being shortlisted helps Cammell Laird ramp up awareness of its demonstrated capabilities for supply of plant to industries outside maritime,” he said.

“Heathrow’s expansion is just the type and size of engineering work we are targeting. With our unique facilities, highly skilled workforce and coastal location we can supply the Heathrow expansion project as well as sectors like nuclear new build, oil and gas, utilities, renewables and rail.

“Our bid is further strengthened by our close relationship with Peel and its ports and logistics infrastructure in Wirral, Liverpool and along Manchester Ship Canal.” 

Advanced techniques

Mr Brown said another prime benefit Cammell Laird is offering Heathrow is its partnership with the Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (Nuclear AMRC) which has co-located in a manufacturing test centre at Cammell Laird’s Birkenhead site.

He explained: “Nuclear AMRC helps us become more efficient and competitive by introducing advanced techniques and technologies in the manufacturing and assembly process.

“It is a core part of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult, an alliance of seven leading manufacturing research centres backed by the UK’s innovation agency Innovate UK.”