Swinney hails ‘tremendous opportunities’ after Spanish takeover of yards
Spanish firm Navantia confirmed at the end of January it had acquired four Harland and Wolff sites across the UK.
A deal to safeguard four Harland and Wolff yards provides “tremendous security and opportunity” for both workers and communities, Scotland’s First Minister said.
John Swinney hailed the “landmark moment” as the head of new owners, the Spanish firm Navantia, visited the site in Methil in Fife.
It, together with the yards in Belfast, Appledore in Devon and Arnish on the Isle of Lewis, were taken over by the state owned Spanish firm at the end of January.
The deal will protect more than 1,000 jobs across the four sites, with Navantia chairman Ricardo Dominguez visiting the yard in Fife on Wednesday.
At a ceremony there to mark the occasion, Mr Swinney thanked the firm for “securing the future” of the yard.
Speaking to workers at the Fife site he said: “This yard has a really proud history, it has an incredibly strong workforce, it is a workforce that has deployed its skill over many, many years.
“But it has faced uncertainties in recent years and the acquisition by Navantia opens up tremendous security and opportunity for the workforce in this community and for the future of the yard.”
With Mr Dominguez describing Navantia as a “a global supplier for the offshore wind market”, Mr Swinney said the deal had come at a “critical point in the development of Scotland’s offshore energy capacity”.
The First Minister added: “This is a hugely exciting moment for this community, a hugely exciting moment for this yard.
“This yard has a very proud past, and I am determined to make sure it has got a very proud future.”
UK industry minister Sarah Jones said one of the “first challenges” faced by the Labour Government was the “imminent collapse of Harland and Wolff.
But she told workers: “We couldn’t just let that happen. Not because as a new government we had promised to put Scotland at the heart of our agenda and we mean it. Not because new government growth is the number one priority, and we meant it.
“But because the talent here, the potential here, is just too important to lose.”
She added that as the negotiations with Navantia went on, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer had intervened to help ensure the deal, as “we all wanted to put our shoulder to the wheel to make it work”.
Mr Dominguez, meanwhile, said Navantia had “made a big commitment with UK industry in Belfast, in Appledore, in Arnish and here in Methil”.
He added: “We have done so because we have a vision and plan for the company and each of the sites.
“Navantia is a world class builder and defence company but we are also a global supplier for the offshore wind market. And the United Kingdom, including Scotland, has a bright future in terms of green energy.”
He told workers in Methil: “The commitment of the UK to offshore wind, your facilities and experience, combined with Navantia’s management, are a perfect starting point for a new journey.”
