According to InsiderMedia, the Harland & Wolff Group has reported a three-and-a-half-fold increase in interim revenue and hailed the significant momentum within the shipyard business.

In the six months to 30 June, the strategic energy infrastructure, fabrication, shipbuilding and vessel repairs group reported revenues of £15.4m, up from £4.14m in the same period from 2021. 

Gross profit for the period stood at £3.38m, up from £1.4m and representing a gross margin percentage of 22 per cent.

The business made an operating loss of £14.1m, widened from £8.2m, but said this reflected an increase in the number of personnel and overall overheads as a result of having to service five assets including Belfast, Appledore, Methil, Arnish and London.

Harland & Wolff now has one of the largest fabrication footprints in the country, two of the largest dry docks in Europe and two of the largest specialist fabrication sites in the UK.

Further reading here on the shipyard group. 

Shipbuilder group Harland and Wolff has reported a widened pre-tax loss of £25.5m as expenses swelled during its Covid-19 recovery.

The maritime engineering company is known for the famous Belfast shipyard where the Titanic was built, and its parent company InfraStrata plc bought Devon’s Appledore shipyard in August 2020 in a £7m deal.

The group published detailed accounts of its financial performance for the 17 months to December 31, 2021, in its latest annual report.

Revenue swung to £18.5m by the end of last year - up from £1.4m for the 12 months ending July 31, 2020.

During this time, in addition to its purchase of Appledore, the group also took over two steel fabrication sites in Scotland and secured a major contract to build foundations for offshore wind turbines for Italian firm Saipem.

The group said between the middle of 2020 and the end of 2021 its workforce had grown from 105 people to 410.

It added that it had £20m in future contracted revenue. More recently, outside of the reported period, Harland and Wolff has struck two deals - worth £8.5m and £10m - with waste management company Cory Group and its subsidiary Riverside Energy Park to build barges for transporting waste on the River Thames.

More from BusinessLive on the group which secured a £55m contract to refit a former Royal Navy mine-hunting vessel HMS Quorn. 

Shipyard group, Harland & Wolff plc is pleased to announce an apprenticeship scheme that is now open for applications.

Running across all five Harland & Wolff operations (Appledore, Arnish, Belfast, Methil and its London headquarters) the group will be looking to recruit a significant number of apprentices as work ramps up. The next intake of apprentices will arrive on-site in August/September 2022.

Applications will close at 5pm on 6th May 2022.

To apply, prospective employees must complete the application form which can be found here. At this time, CVs will not be considered.

Harland & Wolff would also like to hear from recently qualified apprentices as well as those who are part way through their course or have been unable to complete their apprenticeship through COVID-19/recent loss of employment.

For successful candidates, the next stage will include an on-site assessment day and interview which will take place between May 23^rd and June 3^rd. We ask for candidates to keep dates between this time available. 

In addition H&W are looking for team players who are motivated with good communication and practical skills. Prospective apprentices must also have five GCSEs/Standard Grades/Nationals or equivalent including Maths, English, Technical, Craft.

Kelly O’Rourke, Group Director of Human Resources commented: “We are delighted to be launching the second year of our successful Harland & Wolff apprenticeship scheme, providing quality opportunities for up to 150 new members of our team. This year we are opening the scheme up to our four yards in Belfast, Methil, Arnish and Appledore along with our corporate headquarters in London. The continued revitalisation and growth of Harland & Wolff means we are now in a position to offer a unique breadth of roles, across a full range of trades and through to roles in corporate support and communications.”

Harland & Wolff have reported widened losses after it took on new manufacturing sites and more than trebled its workforce, but the shipbuilder and energy manufacturer believes that it must make such investment now to reap the rewards in future.

It is in talks on securing large offshore wind contracts, as well as expanding its offering in shipbuilding, the energy sector and defence.

The London-listed business owns the Harland & Wolff Belfast shipyard, as well as sites in Appledore, Devon, and at Methil, Fife and Arnish on the Isle of Lewis. It added the latter three locations in its most recent financial year.

Annual results published yesterday showed turnover of £10.2 million in the 12 months to the end of July, up from £1.5 million.

More from the The Times.