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Marine algae blooms in the UK have led to a massive closure of the country’s biggest marine supply chain, with Marina Aquatics closing its UK manufacturing facility and moving its operations to a new site in Ireland.
The firm said on Thursday that it would shut down its UK factories at St Andrews, near Newport, in May, and then move its manufacturing to Ireland.
The company said that it was taking the necessary measures to avoid a repeat of the situation that occurred at its Newport factory in September last year, when it said it was unable to continue production due to the “unprecedented” and “unavoidable” algae blooming in its Newport plant.
“It is extremely disappointing to see the company close its plant in Newport and move to a facility in Ireland as we are still facing the threat of marine algae bloomes,” Marina president and CEO Mark McManus said.
“Our factory in Newport was a significant source of the company’s annual revenues and employs over 30,000 people in this country.
The closure of our plant will be the final straw for those who work in our factory and their families.”
Our plant is located in the heart of Newport and we are now committed to moving our operations to Ireland.
“In its statement, the firm said it would now focus its attention on re-opening its facilities in England and Wales, and to continuing to develop its products in Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom.
Marina, which has a turnover of more than £1 billion, was founded in 1997 and has factories in Newport, Newport, Dorset, Liverpool, Glasgow, Oxford and the Isle of Man.
Maurice Jantzen, chief executive of the Marine Conservation Society, said: “Marina has been a leader in the fight against algae bloacs in the oceans for more than 15 years.
It is clear that this crisis is a major blow to the livelihoods of millions of people in the North Sea, and the marine environment is at risk.
“The closure of a large marine supply line is just the latest in a long line of corporate failures.
Marine supply chains are crucial to the supply chain of many major industries and our oceans have been devastated by these failures.”
Marine pollution is the biggest threat to marine life, and this is the second major closure of Marine Supply, an industry group for the food and beverage industry, which said it expected the closure to affect about 10,000 jobs.
But Mr McManum said that the company had “done a fantastic job in the past”.
“We have a very good relationship with our suppliers and the business is moving very quickly to move from a very small production plant in the Midlands to a very large one in the Irish Sea,” he said.
“I would expect the closure of both plants to have a profound impact on our customers.”
Mr McManu said that while the closure would affect its customers, it would also affect the people who were employed in its factories.
He said: “The fact is we have an enormous amount of work to do.
We have a great workforce in the business, we are very good at our business and we have a good team in Ireland and we will be looking at that team.”
There are also ongoing discussions with suppliers in the Northern Sea, the Mediterranean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. “
Following the closure, it will be difficult to find work for people who are no longer employed by the company and will therefore be affected by the closure.”
There are also ongoing discussions with suppliers in the Northern Sea, the Mediterranean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico.
In order to maintain its global position, Marina Aquacy is looking to export its products to markets around the world.
“On the same day, a report in the Guardian newspaper suggested that Mariana, the UK’s second largest fish and seafood company, was considering a new location.
“The decision will not affect Mariana’s plans to expand its existing plant in Wales,” the newspaper reported.
There is no confirmation from the company about its plans to open a new plant in Ireland or anywhere else in the world.
More: The collapse of the North American fishing industry is not a coincidence, writes David Cawthorne.
