Navantia UK has acquired the British shipbuilder Harland & Wolff and its operations across four sites: Belfast in Northern Ireland, Appledore in the South West of England, and Methil and Arnish in Scotland.
The British subsidiary of the Spanish shipbuilder and offshore wind foundation manufacturer revealed in December 2024 that it was in discussions to acquire Harland & Wolff and said the deal would enhance UK shipbuilding, defence and offshore wind industry capabilities.
Announcing the completion of the purchase on 27 January, Navantia said it had received all necessary regulatory approvals and noted that all current employees, more than 1,000 of them across the four sites, transferred to Navantia UK with their existing terms and conditions preserved.
On 29 January, senior leadership from Navantia and its subsidiary Navantia UK visited the Belfast shipyard as the first stop of a tour of all four sites and announced an investment plan for its newly acquired UK business.
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In Belfast, Navantia’s Chairman, Ricardo Domínguez, said that Navantia UK would resume and expand the investment and recapitalisation plan for Harland & Wolff, which was central to the Fleet Solid Support (FSS) programme, comprising three ships for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary to support the UK Carrier Strike Group, which had been paused in recent months.
The integration of Harland & Wolff into Navantia creates a platform for delivering both sovereign defence and clean energy capability, supporting the UK’s strategic priorities in national security and energy transition, according to the company which said on 29 January that the investment across the four sites would fund cutting-edge facilities, technology and training.
Navantia and Harland & Wolff already teamed up in the offshore wind market back in 2020/2021 which saw the two companies entering into an agreement in September 2021 to actively work on securing specific fixed-bottom and floating offshore wind projects, primarily within the UK, and executing them together.