Gazette Live reported that as Teesside came to terms with shock decision to cut 1,700 steelmaking jobs in Redcar, news today emerged of a plan to create at least 7,000 more in heavy engineering on the same site.
A bid to bring thousands of permanent skilled jobs to the region as part of a fully financed multi million pound private venture that would see the world’s biggest ship operating out of the Tees, is in the offing. But decisions must be made swiftly if the area is to beat off rivals to win the Allseas decommissioning project in north east Scotland, where yards are hungry for work and the Government is said to be ready to step in with generous incentives.
Mr Jim Haggar director of Middlesbrough based Engineering Resource Services said that the proposed basin, purpose built to accommodate the 382 meters long Pieter Schelte, a massive, twin hulled vessel designed to transport oil platforms from the North Sea fields for decommissioning, could be the catalyst for a rapid regeneration of the Corus site.
The multi purpose Pieter Schelte, bigger than four football pitches and equipped to simultaneously carry an oil platform and its footings, was part designed by Swan Hunter in Newcastle and was green lighted last month by Allseas.
The vessel is expected to be operational by 2013, by which time a yard must be ready to begin decommissioning the North Sea fields work that industry association Oil & Gas UK last month predicted would be worth about GBP 20 billion over the next 20 years.
