Developing a small craft centre of excellence

Marine Specialised Technology Group (MST) has been embarking on a £1 million (€1.2 million) refurbishment programme at its new home on the banks of the River Mersey.

“We secured these new premises at just the right time as we embark on several major contracts for our flagship “HPB” High-Speed Patrol Boat range which have been, up until now, limited to a maximum 19m in length due to launching and logistical restrictions,” said Philip Hilbert, sales director, MST.

”The new larger facilities with its direct access to water now enables us to not only manufacture more craft at any one time but also to manufacture significantly larger vessels and we already have a 23m design being worked on as I speak.”

Growth plans

MST acquired the Carmet Shipyard from Carmet Tug Company at Bromborough last year for an undisclosed sum.

The refurbishment programme covers the entire 6.5-acre site with total refurbishment of the existing 80m main and 50m secondary boat building halls, brand-new offices, new car parking facilities and the erection of additional composite and fabrication facilities.

MST’s new facilities boast 25T overhead travelling gantry cranes, a 90m 700 tonne slipway that launches directly into the River and a 100T WISE Amphibious Boat Travel Hoist, which provides additional boat launch and recovery facilities and access onto the hard standing areas.

There is direct water access which provides a huge boost to the group’s dedicated service and maintenance division MST Fleet Services. This, combined with the planned expansion of the company’s newbuild division, will be fuelling a significant recruitment drive through the remainder of 2022.

MST has a long-term plan for further investment which will see the facilities expanded and enhanced even further to create a centre of excellence in the North West for small craft design, manufacture and service.

The company will move its boat building, servicing and maintenance operations to the new site during the second quarter of 2022.