Navantiathrough its British subsidiary, has started talks with the historic British shipbuilding company Harland & Wolff to acquire its operations in four shipyards, reported the group belonging to the State Society of Industrial Participations (SEPI), which foresees that the agreement will be completed throughout the month of January 2025.
Specifically, Navantia would take over the company’s activities in Northern Ireland (Belfast), England (Appledore) and Scotland (Methil and Arnish), and will guarantee compliance with the Fleet Solid Support (FSS) shipbuilding program in a market as relevant as the British one.
Although the parties have not offered the economic details of the agreement, which is expected to be completed in January 2025, ‘Sky News’ reports that it would be around £70 million (€85 million).
Navantia UK is the main contractor for the FSS three-ship construction program 216 meters long and 39,000 tons destined for the Royal Auxiliary Fleet for logistical support to the Royal Navy Aircraft Carrier Group.
This contract is valued at around 2 billion euros and represents 1,600 jobs -direct, indirect and induced- in Spain, thanks to the participation of the Puerto Real shipyard (Cádiz) together with the Harland & Wolff facilities in Belfast (Northern Ireland) and Appledore (England), thus being the largest export contract in the history of the Spanish group.
Under the agreement, which is subject to negotiation and the relevant regulatory authorizations, the British subsidiary of Navantia will manage the industrial capacities of Harland & Wolff applying his experience in shipbuilding, complex program management and knowledge transfer.
Navantia UK assessed “positively” the commitment of the British Government to the FSS shipbuilding program and guarantees its execution and the strengthening of local industrial capabilities, in accordance with the needs of shipbuilding and the defense market of United Kingdom.
In this way, Navantia will rescue from the crisis in which Harland & Wolff was immersed, a historic naval ship famous for having built the Titanic a century ago, which had been in bankruptcy since September.
#Navantia #reaches #agreement #buy #Titanic #shipyards #million #euros
