A&P Group#History

The company was established in 1971 as A&P-Appledore International Ltd (APA), a joint venture technology transfer consultancy between British shipbuilding companies Austin & Pickersgill and Appledore Shipbuilders, and focused on ship design and construction.{{cite book|last=Clarke|first=Joe F|title=Building Ships on the North East Coast|year=1997|publisher=The Bewick Press|location=Whitley Bay|isbn=1-898880-05-0|page=452}}{{cite web|title=A&P Group: About Us|url=http://www.ap-group.co.uk/about-us/|access-date=29 April 2013}} Initially the business was directed towards the growing Far East market, as well as the Americas and Europe.{{cite web|last=Lamb|first=Thomas|title=The National Shipbuilding Research Program|url=http://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a452772.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140413124359/http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a452772.pdf|url-status=live|archive-date=13 April 2014|publisher=US Department of the Navy|author2=A&P Appledore International|page=3 (pdf 13)|date=February 1994}} Based on the production engineering solutions developed for the innovative 'ship factory' at Appledore in the late 1960s, and subsequently at Pallion, Sunderland, APA developed the formal Build Strategy approach. This was taken up by Hyundai when they developed the first modern shipyard in South Korea at Ulsan in the 1970s.{{cite book|last=Amsden|first=Alice H|title=Asia's next giant: South Korea and late industrialization|year=1989|publisher=Oxford University Press Inc|location=New York|isbn=0-19-505852-6|pages=276–277}} The Build Strategy template was subsequently adopted in British Shipbuilders' other shipyards, and in the USA.

Following sale of Appledore Shipbuilders to the Government at the time of the collapse of its parent Court Line in 1974, and the subsequent nationalisation of Austin & Pickersgill in 1977, the shareholding of APA was purchased by its management. APA acquired the shiprepair facilities of Falmouth Docks & Engineering Company in 1984 and they remain one of the company's two major centres.{{cite web|last=Hasell|first=Nick|title=UK: Falmouth ready for turn of tide|url=http://www.managementtoday.co.uk/news/411253/UK-Falmouth-ready-turn-tide-1-2/?DCMP=ILC-SEARCH|publisher=Management Today|access-date=29 April 2013|date=1 June 1991}} The Company subsequently focused on shiprepairs rather than shipbuilding,[http://www.ap-group.co.uk/ A&P Group: Home page] becoming A&P Group in 1995[http://www.themanufacturer.com/uk/detail.html?contents_id=646 The Manufacturer] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110610231132/http://www.themanufacturer.com/uk/detail.html?contents_id=646 |date=10 June 2011 }} and being acquired by Royal Bank Development Capital in 1997.

Over the years the company has operated shiprepair facilities in many parts of the world. From the mid-1970s until privatisation in 1994, the Neorion shiprepair yard on Syros was managed for the Greek Government.{{cite book|last=Todd|first=Daniel|title=Industrial dislocation: the case of global shipbuilding|year=1991|publisher=Routledge|location=London|isbn=0-415-04213-5|page=158}} Dubai Drydocks opened in 1983 under APA management.{{cite journal|title=Dubai Drydocks - An Introduction|journal=Shipcare and Maritime Management|date=November 1983|volume=15|issue=Dubai Supplement|page=3}}

The takeover of the former naval dockyard at Gibraltar as "Gibrepair" in 1985 was short-lived, a victim of local social politics.{{cite book|last=Archer|first=E G|title=Gibraltar Identity and Empire|year=2006|publisher=Routledge|location=Abingdon|isbn=0-415-34796-3|page=62}}

In 2001 the A&P acquired Cammell Laird's shipyards at Birkenhead, Teesside and Tyneside.[http://www.alacrastore.com/storecontent/Thomson_M&A/A_P_Group_Holdings_Ltd_acquires_Cammell_Laird_Holdings_PLC-1173231040 A&P Holdings acquires Cammell Laird Holdings] In 2005 A&P sold the Birkenhead yard to Northwestern Shiprepairers & Shipbuilders{{Cite web |url=http://www.oceanlinermuseum.co.uk/Cammell%20Laird%20Shipbuilders%20to%20the%20World.htm |title=Ocean Liner Museum |access-date=17 May 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060813173212/http://www.oceanlinermuseum.co.uk/Cammell%20Laird%20Shipbuilders%20to%20the%20World.htm |archive-date=13 August 2006 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }} and closed its facilities in Southampton (King George V Dock) and the four-dock complex in Wallsend, near Newcastle upon Tyne, in order to focus all ship repair activity in its newer facilities in Hebburn (A&P Tyne). A&P Tees at Middlesbrough was retained to support the important Southern North Sea offshore oil and gas operations and dredging contractors; the strategically situated Falmouth operation (A&P Falmouth) was also retained.

In 2009 A&P was fully acquired by Cardiff property developer Bailey Group; that company had previously acquired a 50% stake in 2006.{{cite web|author=Sion Barry |url=http://www.walesonline.co.uk/business-in-wales/business-news/2009/07/16/bailey-group-takes-100-stake-in-ship-repair-firm-a-p-91466-24164835/ |title=Bailey Group takes 100% stake in ship repair firm A&P |publisher=Wales Online |access-date=2017-01-15}} In 2011 A&P Group was acquired by Atlantic & Peninsula Marine Services, which also has an interest in Cammell Laird.{{cite web|last=Journal |first=The |url=http://www.nebusiness.co.uk/business-news/latest-business-news/2011/03/02/new-owner-for-a-p-tyne-shipyard-51140-28260514/ |title=New owner for A&P Tyne shipyard - The Journal |publisher=Nebusiness.co.uk |access-date=2017-01-15}}{{cite web|title=A&P Group is under new ownership.|url=http://www.ap-group.co.uk/2011/03/01/ap-group-is-under-new-ownership/|publisher=A&P Group|access-date=10 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140413150228/http://www.ap-group.co.uk/2011/03/01/ap-group-is-under-new-ownership/|archive-date=13 April 2014|url-status=dead}}

As one of only two remaining significant commercial ship repair companies in the United Kingdom, along with Cammell Laird, A&P Group has become a centre of excellence for ship owners and managers operating in North West Europe and continues to grow a profitable and successful business employing over 1,000 skilled staff (678 employees in 2013 plus agency workers[http://companycheck.co.uk/company/05832836/financial-accounts Company Check]) in the North East and South West of England.

File:AandPTyneDock.jpg

A&P Tyne is located at Hebburn on the River Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The facility consists of two dry docks (only one is currently in use), two quays and a large steel fabrication shed. The facility also has eight cranes lifting up to 100 tonnes, a steel workshop, joinery workshop and engineering workshop.

The dry dock at A&P Tyne is the largest on the east coast of the UK. It is {{convert|259|m}} long, {{convert|45.7|m}} wide and has a depth of {{convert|5.6|m}} below the datum of navigational charts allowing it to accommodate a wide variety of ships. The two quays are Bede Quay and West Quay.

A&P Tees was located in Middlesbrough, on the River Tees. The yard had two dry docks and six cranes ranging up to forty tonnes lifting capacity. Dry dock number one was {{convert|175.4|m}} long, {{convert|23.4|m}} wide and had a depth of {{convert|1.7|m}} below chart datum. Dry dock number two was {{convert|120|m}} long, {{convert|18.6|m}} wide and a had a depth below chart datum of {{convert|0.37|m}}. Like A&P Tyne, A&P Tees had a wide variety of workshops and fabrication sheds around the site. In mid-2024 A&P Group ceased operations at its Tees facility in a strategic move to consolidate its North East operations into its more extensive facility in Hebburn.{{Cite web |last=Keighley |first=Tom |date=2024-04-04 |title=Historic Tees shipyard to close as firm pulls out of South Bank site |url=https://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teesside-news/historic-tees-shipyard-close-ap-28936513 |access-date=2025-04-16 |website=Teesside Live |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Keighley |first=Tom |date=2024-04-04 |title=Shipbuilder A&P Group to close North East yard impacting jobs |url=https://www.business-live.co.uk/ports-logistics/shipbuilder-ap-group-close-tees-28933104 |access-date=2025-04-16 |website=Business Live |language=en}}

A&P Falmouth is located in Falmouth, Cornwall. The yard is located in the third largest natural deep water harbour in the world, and is the largest ship repair complex in the UK. A&P Falmouth has three large graving docks and can accommodate ships up to 100,000 DWT.

Number two dock (Queen Elizabeth Dock) is the largest graving dock and is {{convert|252.8|m}} long, {{convert|39.6|m}} wide and a has depth below chart datum of {{convert|5.6|m}}. Dock number three is {{convert|220.98|m|0}} long, {{convert|28.04|m|0}} wide and a depth below chart datum of {{convert|3.2|m}}. Dock number four is {{convert|172.5|m}} long, {{convert|26.21|m|0}} wide and has a depth below chart datum of {{convert|2.9|m}}. There are four wharfs in the yard: County Wharf, Duchy Wharf, Queens Wharf and "South of Queens Wharf".

The yard has six cranes, with a total load capacity of 60 tonnes. It has also a steel fabrication shed, engineering workshop, electrical workshop and joinery workshop.

• List of shipbuilders and shipyards

{{reflist}}

• [http://www.ap-group.co.uk A&P Group Official Website]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20170930144633/http://radar.ap-group.co.uk/ A&P Group Official Blog]

{{British Shipbuilders evolution}}

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Category:Technology companies established in 1971

Category:Engineering companies of England

Category:Companies based in Tyne and Wear

Category:Falmouth, Cornwall

Category:1971 establishments in England