Burntisland Shipbuilding Co.Ltd.

The Burntisland Shipbuilding Co Ltd was founded in 1918 by Amos and Wilfrid Ayre. In its lifetime of just over 50 years, the company built 310 ships.

Burntisland Shipyard closed in 1969, after a long and chequered history. The 1960s were difficult times for Scotland's long-established shipyards, but the yard at Burntisland was, on the face of it, doing reasonably well. However, problems over one contract were to come to a head in 1968, and were to prove insurmountable.

The ship in question was the 'Ohrmazd', a fast cargo liner for the East & West Steamship Company of Karachi, Pakistan. This ship was effectively being paid for by the British Government, as part of its foreign aid to Pakistan. But its construction was plagued by wrangles over the specifications and contract terms between the shipyard and the shipowners. These led to serious delays in completing the ship. The delays in turn led to the incurring of punitive financial penalties by the shipyard, which it was simply unable to cope with. The ship was completed in November 1968, but the damage had been done. Burntisland Shipyard went into liquidation the following month. The 'Ohrmazd' was not in fact the last ship to be completed at the yard. The 'Christiane Bolten' was completed in April 1969, and the 'Helen Miller' in July of that year. For a more comprehensive history see below.