The UK's Minister of State at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Nusrat Ghani MP was welcomed to Harland & Wolff Group's iconic Belfast shipyard site.

The multisite fabrication company of Harland & Wolff with over 160 years of maritime and offshore engineering pedigree, formed as part of the visit by Ms Ghani who toured the yard.

Ms. Nursat met the Harland & Wolff Group CEO, John Wood and observed the ongoing work as part of the two contracts awarded by Cory for the fabrication of 23 barges which, combined, are worth over £18 million.

This is the first ship build contract win for Harland & Wolff since its Belfast yard was acquired in 2019, now, the company anticipate further such contract wins as it actively targets major fabrication programmes such as Fleet Solid Support warships.

The visit showcased the recent investment and improvements that Harland & Wolff has made to both the site and its workforce, this has included the installation of a state-of-the-art welding robot which cuts manual welding times by 60%, as well as a site-wide workforce ramp up which has brought long-term employment to Belfast and beyond resulting in over 200 employees by the end of 2022.

The company has also recently partnered with Power NI to see the site supplied by local, renewable energy sources, saving over 826 tonnes of CO2 per year.

During the visit she commented: “Shipbuilding is a core part of our industrial heritage, and the cutting-edge high-tech work underway at Harland & Wolff is proof it is key to our future too. Our world-leading shipwrights create high-skill jobs and boost the economy right across the UK, and we’re determined to support them through our refreshed National Shipbuilding Strategy.”

John Wood, Group CEO of Harland & Wolff commented: “It has been a great pleasure to welcome Minister Ghani to site today and to share with her the Harland & Wolff story and future Group-wide growth opportunities. Under the iconic backdrop of our two gantry cranes, Samson and Goliath, we hope this visit has brought the Harland & Wolff vision to life.”

Nusrat Ghani was appointed Minster of State at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy in September 2022.

She was previously Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Transport from January 2018 to February 2020 and was a Government Whip between July 2019 and December 2019, and an Assistant Government Whip from January 2018 to July 2019.

Harland & Wolff is a multisite fabrication company, operating in the maritime and offshore industry through five markets: commercial, cruise and ferry, defence, energy and renewables.

Its Belfast yard is one of Europe’s largest heavy engineering facilities, with deep water access, two of Europe’s largest drydocks, ample quayside and vast fabrication halls. As a result of the acquisition of Harland & Wolff (Appledore) in August 2020, the company has been able to capitalise on opportunities at both ends of the ship-repair and shipbuilding markets where there will be significant demand.

In February 2021, the company acquired the assets of two Scottish-based yards along the east and west coasts. Now known as Harland & Wolff (Methil) and Harland & Wolff (Arnish).

Harland & Wolff is a wholly owned subsidiary of Harland & Wolff Group Holdings plc (previously known as InfraStrata plc), a London Stock Exchange-listed firm. In addition, it also owns the Islandmagee gas storage project, which is expected to provide 25% of the UK’s natural gas storage capacity and to benefit the Northern Irish economy as a whole when completed.