UK Docks Marine, which already operated two of the dry docks previously belonging to the Smith’s Docks Company, has now agreed on a long-term lease on two more dry docks on Teesside.
This means that the entire former Smith’s dockyard estate, which opened in the first decade of the 20th century and closed in 1987, is once again being run by a single company, according to UK Docks Marine Services statement.
The announcement of the new tenancy follows months of negotiation, UK Docks said, with site owners PD Ports.
According to UK Docks, the agreement will now spark a multi-million-pound investment in the yard, which has two dry docks and extensive workshops across its 10-acre site but will benefit from extensive modernisation in the next few years.
Jonathan Wilson, UK Docks’ managing director, said: “We are delighted to have taken over the site and look forward to redeveloping it and restoring it to a functional facility again.
“We see a lot of potential and possibilities in the site and have a five-year plan to maximise it as an asset.
“Work will start immediately bringing it back to life, and we expect to have it effectively operational again very soon.
“The lease effectively trebles UK Docks’ footprint on the Tees from five acres to 16.5 acres, and we plan to have both sites working in harmony with each other to the benefit of our customers.”
Soon to be open for business – the two new dry docks on the Tees acquired by UK Docks. / Photo: UK Docks.
The new lease will see two more docks added, one measuring 175.26 metres by 22.25 metres and the other 120 metres by 17.3 metres.
The bigger of the two dockyards will allow UK Docks to tender for a broader range of vessels.
Additionally, the newly leased yard offers lay-by berths, an extra 200 metres of quay space, extensive fabrication, engineering workshop facilities, and laydown areas.
UK Docks Marine said the new acquisition, with its larger docks and quay space, will also benefit tendering for future contracts.
