By Scott Wright

THE company bidding to bring the historic Graving Dock on Glasgow’s Clydeside back to life will initially target work on historic steamers when the facility is up and running again.

Govan Drydock Limited revealed plans yesterday to revive dock number one at the historic Govan site in a move heralded as potentially transformational to efforts to modernise the Clyde waterfront.

The company said £500,000 would be invested to bring the dock, which has lain derelict since 1987, back to life. The project will involve draining the dock and clearing out debris, putting new dock plates in place, refurbishing the gate, and replacing the valves that control the flow of water into the basin. The area will also be made more secure.

It is hoped that the dock will be fully operational for ship repairs and maintenance once more by the end of this year, with the facility ready to receive its first ship next spring. By that stage, Govan Drydock aims to have created an initial 30 jobs.

The Graving Docks, which are category A-listed, were built in the late 19th century by the Clyde Navigation Trust, and at their peak could accommodate some of the biggest ships in the world. The three docks at the site, which are around two and half miles from the city centre, were used extensively for winter overhauls, repairs and refits of Clyde steamers for more than 100 years until they were closed.

Govan Drydock's work is focusing on dock number one after it was initially brought on board two years ago to conduct a feasibility study to examine if it could be brought back into use.

Asked what type of work the refurbished dry dock would aim for, Peter Breslin, managing director of Govan Drydock, said the initial plan would be to target “Scotland’s historic ships,” highlighting a recent announcement of plans to bring the TS Queen Mary back into service, and the intention to bring back the Falls of Clyde back from Hawaii. He also referenced the fact the Harland and Wolff yard in Belfast had recently secured its first work on cruise ships for around 20 years. “That was a sleeping giant – now they are back in the cruise market so it is very encouraging,” Mr Breslin said.

Mr Breslin expressed the hope that the redevelopment of the dock would help ensure ship repair and maintenance skills are retained in Scotland.

“We have also got to remember that we run the risk of losing the skills that we have for historic ships,” he said. “Very little has been done in the way of training; we want to encourage, and we want to train [people]. We want to get people interested. It is a historic dock, it is one of the best docks in Scotland. We need to make it work. We need to engage with people and make sure everyone knows it’s there.”

Asked how many jobs he hopes will be created, Mr Breslin said: “It will be a slow start until we get the first ship in. That first ship could generate, potentially, 30 jobs.”

Mr Breslin explained the decision was made to focus on dock number one because it had had the most recent gate change, in the 1960s, whereas the gates at docks two and three are the originals.

The company, which has leased the dock from property owner New City Vision, is in talks with Glasgow City Council with a view to securing a change of use for the site from its current derelict status to a working dry dock. Discussions are also being held with Marine Scotland and SEPA (Scottish Environment Protection Agency).

Mr Breslin revealed that local businesses, including plant hire hire companies, have been in touch to see how they can help, for example by offering discounted rates.

“Everybody wants to see this dock operating again, not just in Govan but other areas of Scotland,” he said. “People want to be associated with bringing this dock back to life. They want to be part of it.”

There are currently no plans to revitalise docks two and three at this stage. “Docks two and three are not on our radar,” Mr Breslin said. “The docks are listed… and it is the original gates on two and three. We have enough work ahead of us with dock one to keep us busy for years to come.”

Iain Sim, chairman of Friends of TS Queen Mary, added: “The trustees are very pleased to note that Govan Dry Dock will be available to Glasgow’s historic ships and we wish the team well with the restoration programme to reopen this historic dock.

“Following the recent announcement of the intention to return the TS Queen Mary to active service, we have been exploring options for the restoration of the ship.

“We look forward to discussing the next phases of the TS Queen Mary restoration project with the Govan Drydock team.”