Glasgow And Ships Of The Clyde

Ardrossan Dockyard Bids For Troon Yard

From: Ardrossan & Saltcoats Herald dated 30th January 1970

ARDROSSAN DOCKYARD BIDS FOR TROON YARD

Ardrossan Dockyard Co., Ltd., have made a bid for the Ailsa Shipbuilding Co., at Troon. The bid is in competition with one received recently from an English based company for the Troon yard.

The first bid was announced by Sir James R.H. Hutchison, Bt., chairman of the Ailsa Company, after the launch of the car ferry ?IONA? from the Ailsa yard on Thursday of last week.

A second ?600,000 bid was received on Tuesday from Ardrossan Dockyard Limited, which was the third attempt by the firm to gain control of the Troon Shipyard.

The Ardrossan firm made their first unsuccessful bid over a year ago. A second offer was made to the Ailsa directors in December and the third offer this week.

The Ailsa Company directors are meeting this week to consider the offers and make recommendations to shareholders. Most of the shares are held by members of the board.

Mr. James R. Miller, secretary of the Ardrossan Dockyard, said: ?We expect to have a reply from the Ailsa directors by mid February. An earlier offer made before the New Year was rejected?.

?There is nothing I can say about the position at Ardrossan at this stage. I would rather await the outcome of the bid for the Ailsa Company. We hope we have bettered the English offer?.

Before the ?600,000 offer was received, the Ailsa board decided to recommend their shareholders to accept the English bid.

Sir James Hutchison told our reporter after the launch: ?I cannot reveal details of the proposal until they are posted to the shareholders. If the change is approved a further statement will be made in a fortnight?.

No Redundancies

?There would be no redundancies and the yard would continue to build ships. The additional capital received would allow the company to expand by diversification?.

?The arrangement would be an amicable one which would allow the Ailsa yard to develop further. There is no threat in it either to our employees or to Troon.

?There would be no changes in the management and few on the board of directors?.
If the takeover took place expansion would be likely in the yard?s engineering work. Of the staff of about 400 there are 300 men working in the shipyard, 80 in the engine works and the others in the offices.

Ardrossan Yard?s Future

There has been speculation about the future of the Ardrossan yard since the end of the year when it was announced a number of workmen were paid off because of redundancy.

Rumours that the company were leaving Ardrossan have been rife and at present, work is in progress which would seem to indicate that part of the yard will be used for other purposes.

The Dockyard Company have made no statement about what they intend to do at Ardrossan but it is understood that part of the yard at least has been taken over by Ardrossan Harbour Company and will be used in connection with the increased traffic which will use the harbour.

Scribe Tango