Ulster Unionist Peer Lord Empey has welcomed the news that a consortium led by Babcock International and including Harland & Wolff, has won a tender to build the new Type 31 frigate for the Royal Navy.
Lord Empey, who is a member of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Defence, said:
“Naturally I am delighted that this news places H&W back at the centre of UK shipbuilding. As a former Industry Minister at Stormont, I played a role in securing the last shipbuilding order from the Ministry of Defence that H&W received. However, a lot will depend on who the administrators choose to sell the shipyard to. It may be that a bidder is only interested in the outfitting quay and can dispose of some of the land.
“Nevertheless, should a bidder be really interested in steel fabrication etc, the news is good. While the Royal Navy is likely to order five of these vessels, they have been designed to attract export orders from around the world. This has not always been the case with previous ships, but being able to sell more vessels potentially lowers the unit cost for the Navy.
“The activities in the Gulf this summer, when Iranians captured a British flagged tanker, illustrated the lack of surface ships that the Navy has at its disposal, and was a massive embarrassment for the United Kingdom. With a short time to design and build, it is hoped to have the first of the new frigates in the water by 2023. It couldn't come soon enough!”