| Abels Shipbuilders | |
| Type: | Private company |
| Foundation: | 1980 |
| Defunct: | 2016[1] |
| Location: | Bristol Harbour, England |
| Key People: | David Abels (founder) |
| Industry: | Shipbuilding, Boatbuilding |
| Num Employees: | 35 (2001)[2] |
Abels Shipbuilders Ltd was a ship and boat builder in Bristol, England. In addition to boat building, the company branched out into architectural sculptures, tidal energy and marine restoration, but closed in 2016.[3]
Founded in 1980 by David Abels, the company took over part of the Albion Dockyard formerly occupied by Charles Hill & Sons who went out of business in 1977. The site includes the large covered dry dock originally built by Hilhouse in 1820, and has a capacity of 350 tonnes.
The company built a wide variety of vessels up to 250gt and 25m (82feet) in length in steel and aluminium, typically tugs, passenger and Roll-on/roll-off ferries, survey vessels, launches and work boats. Around 80% of orders were for UK customers although the company also delivered aluminium patrol and ambulance boats to Nigeria.[4] The company also built Pero's Bridge (the horned foot bridge) which opened in 1999.[5] Later work included a 180gt, 250-passenger catamaran for Clyde Marine and the rebuild of the Medway Queen for the Medway Queen Preservation Society.
The company built ferries from at least 1985, when the 60-passenger Island Princess was delivered to Scottish owners, and she still operates as a whale watching boat off the Isle of Mull. Further ferry orders followed including the 29m (95feet) Roll-on/roll-off ferry Eynhallow for Orkney Ferries in 1987 and the 19m (62feet) Maid of the Forth for the Forth River in 1989.[6]
In 1989, the Maid of the Islands (LOA15m, 130-person capacity) was built for Harvey's pleasure boats of Poole (the yellow boats of Poole); still in Poole today operating between Sandbanks and Brownsea Island for Brownsea Island Ferries. In 1991, a similar design was commissioned for Harvey's. Named Maid of the Lakelands, it is slightly bigger with a completely covered saloon, bar and open deck. It operates from Poole to Brownsea Island and from Poole Quay to Wareham for Brownsea Island Ferries.
In 1999, Maid of Poole (LOA23.5m 195-person capacity), was commissioned for Brownsea Island Ferries for the Poole Quay-Brownsea island service. In 2001 an exact copy of Maid of Poole (Abel's design) was commissioned by Brownsea Island Ferries to be built by Halmatic in Portsmouth. This vessel was called Maid of The Harbour.
In 2001, Abels secured a contract to build a twin-deck ferry for the Portsmouth Harbour Ferry Company. Shortly afterwards the company was awarded a follow-on contract for a second ferry. The first ship, Spirit of Gosport was delivered successfully, but the second, to be named Spirit of Portsmouth, was only partially constructed when the customer cancelled the order, and the unfinished hull remained at Abel's shipyard for many years. However, in 2016–17, the uncompleted hull was completed as a medical ferry for Vine Trust in South America, under the name Forth Hope.
The last ferry built was the Clyde Clipper for Clyde Marine and delivered in July 2009. She is a 125gt catamaran of 28m (92feet) length and 11m (36feet) beam and able to carry up to 250 passengers. Powered is supplied by two Doosan diesel engines and the vessel has a speed of around .
In the late 1980s, Abels began to construct a series of survey vessels for the UK Environment Agency.[7] Vigilance was the first of four similar vessels and delivered by Abels in 1990 for work in the Bristol Channel.
The follow-on ships constructed were the Sea Vigil based on the South Coast, Coastal Guardian for the Mersey and Water Guardian, based on the North East Coast, but spending some time in the Bristol Channel while Plymouth University chartered the Vigilance.
Ranging from 42 to 71gt and 15.8to in length, they are ships operated by the Agency's National Marine Service. Their complement includes scientists and each are fitted for survey activities such as taking seabed samples, trawling and water sampling as methods to monitor the area's coastline, including use of Meteorological sea surface temperature equipment on a tow fish when required.[8]
Vessels built by Abels Shipbuilders in Bristol include: