Belfast shipyard Harland & Wolff is to team up with the Spanish firm Navantia to bid for the contract to build UK naval support ships
The Fleet Solid Support (FSS) programme covers three logistics vessels.
Procurement of the ships was suspended last year but is due to restart in the coming months.
At the time of the suspension Navantia, one of Europe's largest shipbuilders with about 5,500 employees, was on a shortlist of two bidders.
For more reports BBC News NI here and for previous naval related coverage to build ship's for the UK's Royal Navy.,