#BelfastLough - Belfast's iconic cranes of Samson and Goliath could “end up as tourist attractions” if military shipbuilding contracts are awarded overseas, it has been warned.

As Belfast Live reports the union UNITE made the claim as they launched a Shipbuilding Charter to press for MoD money to be spent at UK shipyards, including Belfast’s Harland & Wolff.

Concerns have been raised about the contracts after the MoD said warships are to be built in the UK for national security reasons, but in a move labelled a “sleight of hand” they are refusing to designate auxiliary and support ships as warships and have sent the contract out to international tender. The move could see the vessels built in Korea or Japan.

Unite Regional Coordinating Officer and lead officer for the shipbuilding industry here, Susan Fitzgerald says it is “crazy” that the vessels are not be designated warships.

She added: “Allowing these ships to be built in the UK would create thousands of jobs and regenerate the skills base. It’s a no brainer for the Government to see that these contracts are awarded here.”

For much more click here and scroll below photo of RFA Fort Victoria berthed at Liverpool landing stage, opposite of (H&W) competiting shipyard of Cammell Laird in Birkenhead. 

#BELFAST LOUGH – The largest outdoor arts event ever seen in Northern Ireland is to take place tonight in Belfast at the iconic landmark venue of the £100m Titanic Belfast, writes Jehan Ashmore.

The spectacle is a combination of acrobatics, aerial dance, carnival, circus, music, multi-media and pyrotechnics. An audience of more than 20,000 people will be part of the 'Land of Giants' which takes its inspiration from 'giants' that are present in Northern Ireland's history, both ancient and modern.

Special focus will be given to four: Finn McCool, the giant who built the Giant's Causeway; Gulliver, whose giant features are outlined in the hills surrounding Belfast; Samson and Goliath, the two cranes that have dominated the Belfast skyline for the past 40 years; and the Titanic, together with her less famous sister ship, the Olympic.

This evening's event of theatre and performance is part of the Legacy Trust UK Community Celebrations and the London 2012 Festival, a 12 week UK-wide cultural celebration for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.