Govan Drydock Ltd, the company leading the programme, has committed to returning this historic drydock to be a fully operational ship repair and maintenance facility by the end of this year.

Feasibility studies have already taken place and the company has now secured a licence to operate Govan Graving Dock number one and to bring the facility back to life for use by historic and commercial ships.

Peter Breslin, managing director of Govan Drydock Ltd, said: “We are committed to retaining the heritage and preserving the history of Govan Graving Dock. I am honoured to be returning this historic drydock back to active service and look forward to progressing with the restoration programme over the next six months.

 The facility will breathe life into the Govan area of Glasgow, bring employment opportunities and will become a much-needed facility for historic and commercial ships and ship owners for many years to come.”

Iain Sim, chairman of Friends of TS Queen Mary, added: “The Trustees are very pleased to note that Govan Dry Dock will be available to Glasgow’s historic ships and we wish the team well with the restoration programme to reopen this historic dock.

“Following the recent announcement of the intention to return the TS Queen Mary to active service, we have been exploring options for the restoration of the ship. We look forward to discussing the next phases of the TS Queen Mary restoration project with the Govan Drydock team.”