Commercial shipping and fabrication is still the core of A&P Falmouth’s workload despite being a base port for the RFA Cluster contract.

The tanker Stolt Confidence is expected to sail later today (Wednesday) after an intense 18 day refit and hull repainting.

A&P Falmouth managing director Gerald Pitts said: “our objective is that Commercial ship repair activity should account for 60 per cent of our work with the remaining 40 per cent allocated to the MOD ships.”

Next year will see the new Royal Fleet Auxiliary Tide class tankers arriving from the South Korean builders.

Gerald Pitts said: “The provisional date for the first of the MARS tankers, RFA Tidespring is during February 2017. After this the remaining three ships Tiderace, Tidesurge and Tideforce, will follow at regular intervals.”

A&P will support the four vessels during their delivery journey, their customisation in Falmouth and through their subsequent capability assessment trials.

The tankers are planned to enter service from 2017 and A&P Group will provide through-life support to all four ships for a minimum of three years. The working life expectancy of the ships is 25 years.

Work on four large flood barriers for Manhatten, New York is on schedule for completion just before Christmas.

Jez Littlejohns, Sales Director, said “ We will be testing all four barriers in a purpose-built jig in the coming weeks. Working with Flood Control International, a UK based specialist supplier and installer of the most comprehensive range of flood defences systems in the world, A&P are using their specialist skills and fabrication facilities to manufacture the four flood barriers.