A joint venture is taking over the management and operations of a ship repair business.

Britain’s largest independent ship repairer Burgess Marine, based in Dover, and European Active Projects Ltd, known as EAPL, based in Chatham, will take control of the Ramsgate Slipways.

The two new operators of the docking area have worked together as customer and supplier for very many years.

The site’s main asset is its 60m-long No.1 slipway, which can hold ships weighing up to 350 tons.

Its new owners aim to service the support traffic for projects like the London Array – the world’s largest operational offshore wind farm – which operates out of Ramsgate.

Steve Jones, the managing director of EAPL, said: “We’re really excited about this opportunity.

“The site will undergo investment and the local customer base is keen.

“By working with Burgess Marine we’re covering all the bases.

“The reality is that we can comfortably manage the smaller ‘splash and dash’ dockings right the way up to major ship repair projects.”

Nicholas Warren, chief executive of Burgess Marine, added: “We want to support local operators, the port, wind farm support vessels and passing tonnage.

“With Brexit we’ll potentially be better value for money than docking on the continent too.”