CLARENVILLE, N.L. — The dockyard in Clarenville may soon be up and running again.
The Packet has learned that Canadian Maritime Engineering Ltd. has bought the facility.
The dockyard has been idle since last year when the previous owners, Burry Group, declared bankruptcy of the Clarenville business.
Mayor Frazer Russell confirmed today that representatives of Canadian Maritime Engineering were in Clarenville this week to meet with him and provide information about the future of the site.
In an interview with The Packet today, Aug. 7, Russell said his conversation with Canadian Maritime Engineering President Tony Kennedy was “very positive and upbeat.”
He says they talked about the plans for the business in the community.
“It was a very successful meeting,” said Russell.
He was encouraged by their plans to pick up operations and expand on it, knowing the level of employment it provides is vital in Clarenville.
He adds the company, which has many operations across Canada, is looking to begin work on the facility in a clean-up phase.
Russell says he was told there needs to be a massive amount of preliminary work done at the Marine Drive location before other phases of their project can be started.
According to Russell, the clean-up phase should see 12-15 employees rehired within the next two to three weeks, and up to 30 to 40 positions hired after that.
For further information, Russell says Canadian Maritime Engineering Ltd. is planning an official press conference in the next few weeks to answer questions on the company’s short term and long-term plans for the shipyard in Clarenville.
According to their website, Canadian Maritime Engineering Ltd., and its predecessor company The Russell Group, has been operating for more than 30 years.
“CME is a multi-faceted organization that services all marine and industrial companies including machining, mechanical, welding, fabrication and specialty coatings,” the company states on its website. “We are a well-known Canadian leader with a reliable team able to skillfully execute a wide range of projects in industries such as: Marine, Oil and Gas, Power Generation, and National Defense.”
The head office for the company is in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. They have operations in British Columbia, Ontario and North Syndey and Sambro Head in Nova Scotia.
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Twitter: @jejparsons
