A shipping partnership is on a mission to rescue the industry in one of the UK’s prominent shipbuilding locations, following the decision made by defence and security giant BAE Systems to move its shipbuilding division away to the Clyde.

The Portsmouth Shipbuilding UK group proposes to utilise the existing skills, facility and management expertise to create a successful and sustainable shipbuilding company at Portsmouth Dockyard that produces small and medium commercial/naval vessels for the domestic and export markets.

The group wants the government to reconsider the decision regarding the build of three Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) granted to Scotland and reconsider granting a single OPV build to Portsmouth. BAE Systems is due to cease shipbuilding operations in Portsmouth in September 2014 when 1,000 employees will lose their jobs.