Campaign to Save Inchgreen Dry Dock

Peel Ports are vandalising the facilities at Inchgreen Dry Dock purchased in 2002 from Clydeport. They blew up the cranes in July 2017 claiming it was too costly to service and maintain. No investment has been made in the facility since 2002 and rumour was they wanted to infill the dock and sell the land for housing. They have now confirmed to Inverclyde Council that they are not selling the dock or infilling.
The Dry Dock is the second largest in the UK and a major asset for Inverclyde and the west coast.
Who are Peel Ports?
The Peel Group is constructed like a Russian Doll, a company within a company within a company and so on that produces hundreds of companies.
The holding companies are registered in Tax havens, the Isle of Man and the Cayman Islands, owned and controlled by John Whittaker tax exile and his sons through Billown Trust. They own 75% of the parent companies Tokenhouse Ltd, Tokenhouse Investments (Guernsey) Ltd and Peel Port Holdings, the other 25% is owned by a Saudi Arabian conglomerate the Olayan Group.
The Peel Group own A&P Group (APG) based at Cammell Lairds in Birkenhead Merseyside and have 4 Dry Docks, they also have dry docks in Falmouth, Tyneside and Teesside, and now control Inchgreen according to their web page.
APG have a joint venture with BAE Systems (BAES) and tendering for the Type 31e Frigates (each £250m +) have the same build time as the Type 26 Frigates being built by BAES in Govan and Scotstoun.
The Frigates and a £200m BAES investment promised and supported by the Tory Government during the 2014 Independence Referendum did not materialise.
Former Tory Defence Secretary of State, Lord Michael Fallon also reduced the build number of Type 26 from 13 to 8, another broken promise and BAES have only been contracted to build 3.
Sir John Parker’s 2016 Report ‘The National Shipbuilding Strategy“ has also been used to break promises to Glasgow hence the joint venture, BAES providing Engineering, Design and Systems and APG doing the build in Birkenhead.
However this report also suggested that a Regional Industrial Strategy could be developed to build the Type 31e and Clydeside has the capacity.
Which begs the question-
Did BAES not consider a joint venture with Ferguson’s Marine using Inchgreen and develop a Regional Strategy to build these Frigates?
We think not, the joint venture would not like Ferguson’s Marine gaining expertise in MOD work, and APG would prefer their Merseyside investment to benefit.
Peel Group have invested over £250m in Cammell Lairds and have grand plans to invest £50 Billion over 50 years in the Atlantic/Ocean Gate Project which covers both sides of River Mersey and the Manchester Ship Canal, the docks, container facilities, shipyards and riverside developments etc.
Their future investment and the millions of public money they receive from the EU, Merseyside & Manchester Local Authorities, Enterprise & Regional Boards and Government is all for the Atlantic/Ocean Gate Project and none for Inchgreen.
Merseyside and Manchester newspapers with community groups have asked whether the tax payer is getting value for the vast amounts of public money Peel receive and continue to receive.
Their control of the Merseyside waters and coast has been a major concern for some community groups and one ExUrbe produced a critical 2013 report on Peel’s operation -
“PEEL AND THE LIVERPOOL CITY REGION”.
Peel has no intention of investing in Inchgreen Dry Dock and attracting work or they would not have destroyed the cranes. The Peel Group’s investment strategy is totally focused on Merseyside.
However they could be in for another Public Purse payday when the Greenock Ocean Terminal Project under the City Deal gets final business case approval. Estimated costs are £14.793m, £7.193 from the Tax Payer, identified private sector investment £6.1m from Peel and £1.5m from the Dunard Art Fund, to date no contract has been signed or approved.
We petition the Scottish Government and Inverclyde Council to bring Inchgreen Dry Dock into Public/Community Ownership for the future prosperity of Inverclyde and its citizens.
We now have support from the local political parties Lib Dem’s, SNP, Greens, Labour and most Independent Councillors, local MP & MSPs also Unite and Unison Trade Unions. Our local newspaper the Greenock Telegraph have raised the profile of the Campaign with the Inverclyde public by their many articles on the issue.

Copies of the Campaign petition can be obtained by contacting the below or sign online at:-

https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/campaign-to-save-inchgreen-dry-dock-1

email: [email protected]

Tel 07719 646944

Its important for the future Industrial development of Inverclyde, attract good paid skilled jobs, secure a major asset for the West Coast of Scotland and preserve its shipbuilding heritage.