Albion Dock Company
Albion Dock Company operates the grade II listed Albion Dry Dock at Albion Dockyard in Bristol, offering dry docking, ship repair and marine engineering services. The yard handles steel hulls as well as traditional and reproduction wooden vessels, with particular expertise in watertight junctions between wood and metal structures. Work covers structural fabrication, propulsion and boilers, electrical refits, hydraulics and machining, deck mechanisms, mooring gear, electronics and safety systems. The company states it provides a B2B service only and does not work on leisure boats.
Albion Dock Company
Albion Dock Company owns and operates the historic Albion Dock at Albion Dockyard in Bristol, a site with shipbuilding roots going back to James Martin Hilhouse around 1770 and later Charles Hill & Son. The dock became a grade II listed structure in December 1994, and after a period under Abels Shipyard it has been owned by Albion Dock Company since its incorporation in January 2017. The company positions itself as an engineering-led repair yard, equally at home with modern steel hulls and traditionally built or reproduction wooden vessels. Services are offered on a business-to-business basis; the company states it will not work on leisure boats.
Services
- Dry docking, with recently refurbished gates and pumps
- Ship repair, including wood-to-metal junctions in watertight structures
- Engineering and fabrication: steel deck structures, below-deck space modifications, cargo doors, cargo loading machinery from concept to installation
- Electrical engineering, including on-board surveys, component and system replacement, and cabling modifications for complex refits
- Hydraulics and pneumatics maintenance and general machining: performance testing, fluid replacement, pistons, diaphragms, casings, pipes and hoses
- Propulsion work: diesel, steam, oil and coal fired engines, boilers, boiler room piping, funnels, cooling, engine management systems, propellers, paddles, sails and rigging
- Structural work: wood decks, superstructures and hulls, fibreglass and multi-material cabins, masts, metal hull welding, prefabrication of module blocks
- Mechanisms and deck gear: winches, doors, hatches, portholes, pumps, bilge pumps, anchors, bollards, swing moorings, chains, hawsers
- Electronics: navigation, communications, satellite, radio and aerials
- Ventilation, air conditioning, water heating and waste water plumbing
- Safety systems, including sensors and alarms, with assistance on SOLAS, EMSA, UK Government and fire prevention standards
Facilities
- Albion Dry Dock, historically 540 feet long and the largest dock in the harbour
- Dry dock capacity for vessels up to 103 metres length, 14.6 metres beam and 4.7 metres draft (elsewhere described as up to 90 metres in length)
- Historic 300 tonne ship lift with covered working area referenced on site
Vessel Types
- Modern steel-hulled commercial vessels and workboats
- Wooden and multi-material vessels, including historic replicas and reproduction ships
Location
- Albion Dockyard, Albion Dockside Estate, Hanover Place, Bristol BS1 6UT, adjacent to Bristol Marina
- Access typically involves navigating the Gloucester Harbour, where harbour regulations apply to vessels over 20 metres and fishing boats over 47.5 metres