"Positive discussions" have been held regarding the sale of Belfast shipyard Harland and Wolff, according to the administrators.

The business, BBC News reports, entered administration earlier this month, with accountancy firm BDO overseeing the process.

The move places 120 jobs at risk and could spell the end of the firm, best known for building the Titanic.

BDO said it hoped the ongoing talks may lead to "credible offers".
"In light of this, the administrators, in tandem with the unions and workforce, are intending to continue the unpaid temporary lay-off initiated on our appointment beyond today," it added.

"The limited retained team of workers are continuing to maintain the site and assist the administrators in carrying out their duties."

More can be read here on this story. 

A trade union, writes Belfast Telegraph, the GMB has said it's in talks with the administrators of Harland & Wolff about extending the temporary lay-off of staff beyond Friday, it has emerged.

GMB and the Unite union last week reached agreement with business advisers BDO, who were appointed administrators to the stricken shipyard last week, that workers would be laid-off temporarily in a move to stave off redundancy.

Unions have called for renationalisation of the firm, which was previously in government ownership in the 1980s and 1990s.

Yesterday Michael Mulholland of the GMB told the Belfast Telegraph the union is now in talks with the administrators about extending the lay-off, though no agreement has yet been reached.

More on the story can be read here.

The Belfast Telegraph writes of a former Northern Ireland minister that has said Secretary of State Julian Smith must "think outside the box" to try and save Harland and Wolff shipyard.

The iconic Belfast company entered administration last week after a period of financial difficulty.

Labour peer Angela Smith was responsible for classifying Harland and Wolff's cranes as "scheduled monuments" while working in the Northern Ireland office, where she served from 2002 to 2006.

The move meant that the landmark cranes could not be removed without government permission.

Baroness Smith serves in the Labour shadow cabinet alongside her role in the House of Lords.

For further reading on this story click this link. 

Retired and former Harland and Wolff workers, writes Belfast Telegraph, have been invited to return to the shipyard on Sunday as part of a special event.

Concrete prints will be made of the "hands that built the shipyard" during an event at 12pm.

Unite shop steward at the shipyard Joe Passmore said that the event is part of the staff occupation in an effort to save jobs, with Harland and Wolff entering administration earlier this week.

“The gesture of concrete hand prints is a testament to the people who built this great industry. The yard means so much to this city and beyond, it needs to be re-nationalised," Mr Passmore said.

We need to take ownership. All hands on deck - let’s save our shipyard."

To read more including what trade union UNITE had to say click here. 

Potential bidders, reports Belfast Telegraph, have expressed an interest in buying Harland and Wolff, administrators have confirmed.

Insolvency experts Brian Murphy and Michael Jennings from business advisory firm BDO are now running the business.

On Wednesday the majority of the 123 staff have been able to opt for temporary lay-offs, a move which maintains their employment contracts. However, some have already opted for redundancy.

A spokesperson for BDO said on Friday: "In light of insufficient funds to cover the current running costs of the business and in the absence of any other funds being available at this point, in conjunction with Unions, the administrators have agreed to facilitate an unpaid temporary lay-off until Friday 16th August.

The newspaper here has more on the story. 

BBC News reports that Harland and Wolff has entered administration, with accountancy firm BDO formally appointed to oversee the Belfast shipyard.

Having employed more than 30,000 at its peak, the move could now put 120 jobs at risk and spell the end of the iconic firm, best known for building the Titanic.

Unions representing workers have called for the shipyard to be renationalised.

They argue it would be cheaper for the government to keep the shipyard open.

However, the government has said the crisis is "ultimately a commercial issue".

The Northern Ireland Office said NI Secretary Julian Smith "understands the impact" uncertainty over the shipyard will have for workers and their families.

It said Mr Smith "had made it clear that he will continue to do everything he can to secure the future of this historic site and ensure workers' interests are protected".

More here on this development at the Queen's Island shipyard.  

Harland and Wolff’s Norwegian majority owner has announced it will file for bankruptcy — but the Belfast shipyard says business will continue as usual, as the Belfast Telegraph reports.

The move comes after Dolphin Drilling ASA, formerly Fred Olsen Energy, says it failed to reach a deal with its creditors.

Harland and Wolff, which in recent years has diversified from shipbuilding to the renewable energy sector, is expected to be sold this year as part of its parent company’s restructuring plan.

A spokesperson for Harland and Wolff Heavy Industries Ltd said: “The announced developments in relation to DDASA are not expected to impact this sales process and we are operating very much on a business as usual basis.”

The Belfast Telegraph has more on the story HERE.

#BelfastLough - This month 50 years ago, November 1968 the landscape of Belfast was forever changed when a giant yellow crane known as Goliath rose from the Harland and Wolff shipyard.

As BBC News NI recalls, it would be joined soon afterwards by Samson, and the pair formed a key part of the city's skyline.

Their role, however, was more than aesthetic; they were the workhorses that helped develop the city's industrial reputation, facilitating the employment many thousands within Belfast and beyond.

To view historic footage of the iconic crane, click here to a link.  

Could the cranes as Afloat previously covered become tourist attractions? click here 

#CruiseLiners - New to Azamara Club Cruises is the Azamara Pursuit which was officially named in Southampton yesterday, 28 August.

The 30,277gt Azamara Pursuit writes the Maritime Executive was previously P&O Cruises' Adonia, and she sailed her final voyage as Adonia in February 2018. She has since undergone a two-and-a-half-month refurbishment at Grand Bahamas Shipyard before sailing to the U.K. Here she received further enhancements at Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Azamara CEO Larry Pimentel says the line's third ship will enable it to visit all seven continents next year, notable South America, and to go to 400 ports annually. The ship is scheduled to visit 61 destinations, including 15 maiden calls for the line. The three ships will undertake a joint cruise together going from Slovenia to Venice in 2020.

The godmothers of the 702-passenger ship are Ellen Asmodeo-Giglio, executive vice president and chief revenue officer of Afar Media, and Lucy Huxley, editor in chief of Travel Weekly UK.

#BelfastLough - Chief executive of Azamara Club Cruises, the firm which has docked its Azamara Pursuit in Belfast for a £50m makeover, said the project could see the "renaissance" of a bygone industry here, writes The Belfast Telegraph.

Larry Pimentel, whose cruise line is part of the Royal Caribbean family, made the comments as he viewed the progress of his cruise vessel's refit, which is being carried out at Harland and Wolff in Belfast by staff from Newry firm MJM Group.

"It is my expectation that this will be the beginning of a burgeoning trade. We'll come to Belfast and bring jobs for the craftsmanship and the bespoke capabilities of a bygone era. I view this as the beginning of something exciting," said Mr Pimentel who was previously chief executive of Cunard Line and Seabourn Cruise Line.

The Miami-based chief believes that other cruise lines around the world will follow Royal Caribbean's lead by bringing more projects here.

For further reading of the story click the link.