By Amy Woolvett
TRANSCONTINENTAL MEDIA
NovaNewsNow.com
Work is moving forward at Shelburne Ship Repair after the province loaned the Irving-owned company nearly $9-million to upgrade the shipyard’s World War II era marine railway.
“At this point in time efforts are focused on the environmental permitting process and engineering as it relates to refurbishing the marine railway and the wharf,” said Mary Keith, Vice President of Communications for J.D. Irving Ltd.
She explained that the marine railway is a critical piece of infrastructure for launching a vessel back into the water after the company has worked on it.
Tri County Construction was awarded the tender for the project.
“We hope to have the cradle/marine railway operational by September or October,” said Keith.
The provincial government announced in January that it would provide an $8.8-million loan to make the necessary upgrades to the infrastructure. Until the announcement, the future of the site and the jobs had hung in precarious balance.
Improvements to the marine railway and wharf will allow the company to resume building and repairing ships, with the option of taking on bigger and more profitable projects.
“We are investing in the restoration of an important operation, which will strengthen the economy and sustain employment for local residents in the long term. We recognize that Shelburne Ship Repair is an important employer for this rural community and for the shipbuilding industry in Nova Scotia,” said Sterling Belliveau, Fisheries and Aquaculture Minister.
The terms of the 15-year loan include a yearly repayment of $150,000 on certain conditions including the creation of jobs and maintaining a steady business. If the conditions are met, 80 per cent of the loan will be forgivable.
The rundown marine slip was becoming less and less useful over time and it was necessary for a strong marine railway to be in place for any out of water work.
The restoration will employ 15 to 25 workers now and up to 45 employees during peak periods and work is planned to begin this month and take up to a year to complete.
He hopes that when operation is up and running, well over 70 people will be employed at the site.
During the 15-year period of the loan, it is estimated that 60 full-time jobs would create $2.9-million in tax revenue from spin-off jobs together with $433,000 in revenue related construction.
