A MULTI-MILLION pound crane was destroyed in a shipyard fire today.
 The blaze broke out at A&P Tyne, on Waggonway Road, in Hebburn, at 12.40am. The emergency services were called after a member of the public in Wallsend, North Tyneside, spotted flames from across the river. The fire had started on the wooden decking area on top of the 25-tonne crane, believed to be worth between £2m to £3m. It is thought to have been caused by an electrical fault. The crane collapsed and caused severe damage, but no-one was hurt. Jackie Woodall, a GMB union senior organiser responsible for the A&P Tyne yard, said: “The concern is that if this stops work we will be looking at job losses.” But A&P Group director Dave Skentelbery said: “Business will continue as usual. The yard is very busy at the moment and we have a lot of work on, but this will not stop that work. “The most important thing to us is there were no injuries and our emergency procedures worked. The nightshift was on at the time, but the fire was spotted by our safety patrols who immediately informed the fire brigade. That is why we have those patrols.” Police said the incident was not being treated as suspicious. A spokesman said: “We received a call of a large crane on fire. This turned out to be a 25-tonne dock side crane on the premises of A&P. “The fire caused the crane to collapse, causing substantial damage. It is estimated the value of the crane was between £2m and £3m. However, there were no injuries to staff. No-one was working on this particular crane at the time.” Two engines from Hebburn fire station and an aerial ladder platform arrived at the scene. Mel Rudd, acting watch manager, said: “There was a fire in a cabin around 70ft up. “We used an aerial platform with a cage to get water to it. We were there for nearly two hours. We did not actually get on to the crane, we treated the fire from the aerial platform. The jib on the crane collapsed and the wires snapped. The crane was destroyed.” A&P currently has around 500 workers fulfilling three contracts – a refit of the RFA Fort Austin, conversion work on Normand Seven and early fabrication work on CSO Oreliar. Earlier this year the firm was granted a certificate of lawfulness by South Tyneside Council for the recycling of ships and other marine structures. | 
