By
Cherie Rowlands |
A keel laying ceremony at the Cammell Laird shipyard in Birkenhead on 18 October, marked the start of the company building two new passenger vessels for Western Ferries in Dunoon, Scotland.
Representatives from Western Ferries took part in the ceremony, including chairman Alistair Ross who laid the keel for the first ferry, named Sound of Seil. Work on the second ferry, Sound of Soay, starts in November 2012.
“It is fantastic to be here at Cammell Laird and see work begin on the first ferry,” Ross was quoted as saying: “This is a historic day for us and the beginning of a journey which we believe will make a massive difference to our company and the local community for many years to come.”
Cammell Laird’s managing director Linton Roberts was quoted as saying: “Cammell Laird is exceptionally pleased and proud to welcome the team from Western Ferries for this historic keel laying ceremony. We fully appreciate the importance of this investment in state of the art vessels for the company and their ambitions.”
The multi-million pound contract was formally signed in June 2012, with both vessels expected to be delivered in August 2013.