Jonny Boys, MD at Trafalgar Wharf, has never been shy when breaking the mould.
His new model for his shipyard, where owners bring in their own repair and refit teams, rather than being tied into the shipyard operator, is his new strategy to grow the business at Portchester.
“I’ve taken the shipyard back in house,” said Jonny. “Owners want to get the best price and quality from ship repair and refurbishment companies. The best way to do that is competitive tendering. There are not many shipyards where you can bring in your own independent teams, but owners want choice and the control that brings.”
Being able to just hire the shipyard and control the project gives the owner the upper hand.
“Once a ship is in dock, you can’t just move it if things aren’t going well. But when you hire the shipyard only, it’s easy to make changes if a contractor isn’t performing. That’s unrivalled flexibility.” Jonny’s brought in one of the most experience Dockmasters in the country to ensure owners get the best service possible. Chris Hems has carried out more than 300 lift outs and dockings for the US Army, Testbank Ship Repair and Burgess Marine, as well as working in partnerships with Wightlink car ferries, and Brittany Ferries Normandie Express at the 4000t Syncrolift in Cherbourg.
“We’ve got all the facilities owners need,” said Chris. “We’re a 24hr working facility, with on site workshops to hire, mess rooms and office space available. We’re also very clear in our pricing structure so owners know what they are getting.”
The shipyard has had a successful period of growth with several Super Yachts. There has been ‘Shemara’, Owned by Sir Charles Dunstone and ‘Lady A’ owned by Lord Alan Sugar as well as a regular client base of Wightlink, Gosport Ferries and Serco who dock many of the Portsmouth Naval Dockyard support ships.
Chris, together with his dedicated and experienced team can handle a huge range of vessels. Whether a super yacht, dredger, working barge, tug or house boat, the only limiting factors are the overall length up to 60m, the beam up to 14m, the draft up to 4.6m. The permissible limit using the docking cradle is 877 tons, although we can take more depending on the ship’s configuration.
