Landmark as first steel is cut on £8m giant barge at Methil yard
Scottish Secretary Ian Murray hailed the “world class workforce” at a Fife yard as he returned to see the first steel cut on an £8 million 1400 tonne barge.
The vessel, which will have a surface area the equivalent of 10 tennis courts, has led to the creation of 35 new jobs at the Methil yard which was one of four taken over by Spanish shipbuilding subsidiary, Navantia UK, as part of UK Government backed deal last December.
That came after Harland & Wolff called in the administrators and saved the jobs of just 200 under workers in Fife.
Eight months on, and the giant yard is now buzzing with activity as work gets underway on the first major contract since it was saved. Mr Murray was joined on his visit - the fourth he has made to Methil - by Richard Baker, MP for Glenrothes and Mid Fife. They were given a tour of the giant sheds, and met union leaders and management before watching the first steel being cut for the new vessel.
Once finished, it will be moved to Navantia UK’s Appledore shipyard in Devon, where bow sections of three Fleet Solid Support (FSS) ships for the Royal Navy will be built on it, before then being transported to Belfast.
Mr Murray said: “It is fantastic news that the team at Methil will be fabricating this barge which will play a key role in building three fleet support ships. Workers at the yard are highly skilled and will be playing a key role delivering in this important defence contract.”
He spoke to the workforce which he hailed as “world class” adding: “This £8m contract is bringing on 35 new jobs - 50 apprentices here.They are the platers and welders of the future. We have a shortage of them in Scotland and the UK, and are bringing on next generation.
“One in six young people are not in education, employment or training. These are the kind of apprenticeships we desperately need for those people into work.”
Mr Baker described as a “brilliant day for the Methil Yard.” “After going through a year of turmoil of one year ago where we lost the yard to today we get to see steel being cut building this barge and showcasing the skills and tal of tents of this workforce. This is great news for the workforce and shows what this yard can do in future. We can be optimistic about its future.”
The barge – which is designed for long term use and will be used again in other projects in the future – also allows the yard to continue its apprenticeship programme, with recruitment of 14 new apprentices to take place immediately.
The investment by Navantia UK comes as the UK Government has pledged to increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP from 2027, with ministers hoping to up this further to 3% in the next UK parliamentary terms.