WORKERS laid off by former Southampton ship maintenance firm A&P are celebrating after finishing their first major contract since setting up on their own.

Two new firms have emerged phoenix like from the ashes of the A&P shutdown and others have taken on A&P staff and equipment.

Now five firms employing dozens of former A&P staff are teaming up to bid for marine refit work across the UK.

It's a considerably brighter picture than when A&P quit the city in 2005, making more than 50 people redundant and effectively bringing the curtain down on a historic Southampton industry.

Faced with finding another profession or relocating, laid off workers instead formed ship repair company Viking Marine and machining firm TK Marine.

Other firms such as Portland Marine took the opportunity to expand by taking on staff. Now those three, together with former A&P contractors marine painters Muhlhan and electrical firm Abelex, are uniting to bid for work.

Viking Marine's Ian Hunt said they decided to co-operate rather than compete.

"I was a project manager for A&P. The end was all very, very quick and it was a difficult time," he remembers. "We all got out heads together and said lets not be fighting for work. Lets get contracts together and make it pay. So, everyone decided to pull together to get the work that we knew was out there. Now we are competitively tendering for work all around the UK."

"I would like to think it has a good future. It's working well at the moment and we are managing to keep prices down for the customers so they are making savings and we're making money because we are five small companies with no overheads."

The five companies have just put the finishing touches to a refit of Poole Sandbank's Bramblebush Bay ferry, a six figure contract completed using Marchwood Slipways - the former Husband's Shipyard.

Mr Hunt said: "It's a moral stand for us all because it is five companies pulling together and that's a first "It's all on budget and on time, except for the coating because of the weather.

"It's good to see that we can have contracts like this because, although it's smaller than what they are used to working on, it's in Southampton and it is the same line of work."

Grouping together in whatever combination best suits the contract, some of the companies have also worked for the likes of shipping giant Wallenius Wilhelmsen and Isle of Wight ferry firm Wightlink.