Seventeen months after work started, the extension of the Pendennis shipyard in Falmouth, England continues apace. A key phase wrapped up last month. The Pendennis shipyard staff expects everything to finish on schedule in 2015.
The expansion involves both shoreside and in-water structures. It’s the direct result of two things. First, the size of superyachts has clearly grown since the last renovation in 2004. That work also only involved the dry dock, which measures 492 feet (150 meters) long. Second, the Pendennis shipyard expansion is the solution to an increase in winter refit requests. Mike Carr, joint managing director, says requests have especially risen over the past five years.
The on-shore construction started in February 2013. That’s the part just finished in May. The photos here show what the Pendennis shipyard looked like in 2012 (below) and what the site looks like now (above). Back then, just one construction hall existed. Now there are three halls, for new construction and refit. Two are 295 feet (90 meters) long, while the third is 148 feet (45 meters) long and has two side-by-side bays. Each hall permits the Pendennis shipyard staff to keep yachts in place for paint spraying, too. This was a key accomplishment, since previously projects needed to be moved to a dedicated spray area. A recently delivered 640-ton travel hoist will make moving projects around this Pendennis shipyard easier, too. Recall that Pendennis also has facilities in Devonport, England and Palma de Mallorca, Spain.
Accompanying the halls is a central complex. It contains a workshop, project managers’ offices, and a reception area. The lowest level contains a mast shed. It measures 262 feet (80 meters) long.
The Pendennis shipyard staff didn’t waste any time putting the new facilities to use. In the midst of construction, in fact, finished sections of the new halls were filled with two yachts. They were protected from the ongoing rest of the work, of course. As soon as the buildings were done, two more yachts moved in. Pendennis also “christened” the reception area in May, during the Pendennis Cup. An Aston Martin Vanquish Volante provided eye candy in the midst of the room. (Normally, guests will enjoy the views out over the Fal Estuary, a natural harbor, from the glass balconies.)
Currently, the Pendennis shipyard is pretty busy with yacht work. The dry dock has two 197-foot (60-meter) refits underway. They’ve been in place since last October. Hall 3 is seeing the keel laying of a new-build Dubois-designed sailing superyacht. She’ll measure 102’7” (31.3 meters).
The final phase of the expansion involves the in-water facilities. It’s the wet basin (non-tidal) in the illustration above. The longest portion will be 328 feet (100 meters) long. That will handily accommodate a few yachts or the ever-growing ones that Pendennis continues to target.
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