Shelburne Ship Repair has laid off more than half of its workforce due to a lack of work orders. A spokesperson for Irving Shipbuilding confirmed the layoffs in an email, indicating that the company has laid off 48 workers since November 2nd. Deborah Page says a series of layoffs began after repair projects wrapped up on HMCS Shawinigan and the DND Water Barge. Page says the company needs to secure new work orders before they can begin to re-hire the workers. The Shelburne Shipyard now has 15 full-time workers down from a peak of 75 employees earlier this year.