The shipbuilder has announced that its holding company is to go into administration.
Stormont ministers have been urged to “go directly to the Prime Minister” over the future of Belfast shipyard Harland and Wolff.The firm said between 50-60 immediate redundancies are expected but that staff employed at its four shipyards are not affected.
The matter was raised in the Assembly by way of an urgent question to Economy Minister Conor Murphy on Tuesday by East Belfast DUP MLA David Brooks. Mr Brooks described Harland and Wolff as not just a large employer within his constituency but an “iconic industry for the whole of Northern Ireland”. UUP MLA Steve Aiken asked for assurance that a contract to build support ships for the Royal Navy will still come to Belfast, and urged that Mr Murphy, through First Minister Michelle O’Neill and deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly, makes an approach to “go directly to the Prime Minister” around the contract.
He added: “The Belfast yard and the achievement in securing, as we did, an MoD contract worth £1.6 billion to build fleet support ships is the asset, is the thing which is creating the interest in the sales process.”The company is part of a consortium that landed a major contract to build new fleet solid support ships for the Royal Navy.
In terms of finding a new owner for the Belfast operation, Mr Robinson said Spain’s state-owned shipbuilder Navantia was the “most obvious” candidate.“I have had discussions as they advance to achieve the order and clearly they have a unique financial interest in Belfast particularly given the contract that is there and the knowledge to proceed with that contract.”
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