Belfast Harbour’s iconic yellow gantry shipyard cranes, Samson and Goliath, are returning to regular service for the first time in over two decades at the Queen's Island site, according to a report from Yahoo Finance.
As IndexBox writes, the cranes, long seen as decorative remnants of the city's shipbuilding past, are being reactivated at Navantia UK, with its largest facility at Harland & Wolff. The historic shipbuilder that constructed the White Star liner Titanic is to re-enter the naval market with a major contract from the UK Ministry of Defence.
Peter Rusk, programme manager at the yard, said that Goliath (dating to 1969) had not been used for years and that the facility requires significant investment and modernisation, from dry-dock repairs to new equipment. He added that the cranes are iconic for Belfast.
The Goliath, which was largely constructed at H&W, is positioned furthest from the water and is scheduled to come into service in September, with Samson (dating to 1974), provided in its entirety by Krupps, to follow after receiving the same treatment.
The crane reactivation represents the most symbolic element of a nearly £160m overhaul funded by the new owner, the Spanish state-owned shipbuilder Navantia, through its subsidiary, Navantia UK. The investment prepares Harland & Wolff to build three Fleet Solid Support (FSS) replenishment vessels (to resupply food, fuel, logistics, stores, and ammunition) for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) that is to support the UK’s Royal Navy Maritime Carrier Strike Group.
The last navy ship launched from the yard was the RFA’s fleet tanker RFA Fort Victoria in 1990, and Afloat highlights the last ship ever completed at the yard, the Point-class Sea-lift ro-ro M.V. Anvil Point in 2002, which has been used for the UK MoD.
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