New vessel sails out of Harland & Wolff's Belfast shipyard for first time in 20 years

The barge is the first vessel built at the yard to be launched from the iconic shipyard in 20 years, since MV Anvil Point was launched in 2003.

The barge was taken by sea to the banks of the River Thames where it will join Cory’s existing fleet of tugs and barges, and will be used to transport recyclable and non-recyclable waste. Cory is the largest commercial operator on the Thames, and its use of the river to transport waste removes around 100,000 truck journeys from London’s roads each year.

Cory placed an initial order of 12 barges with Harland & Wolff on June 1, 2022 worth £8.5 million. Later, Cory extended the contract by a further 11 barges, taking the contract total to £18.1 million. A bolstered fleet of tugs and barges will be essential to deliver Cory’s growth plans.

Fran Comerford-Cole, director of logistics at Cory, said: "We are delighted to have received this first barge, which will be deployed into our fleet on the Thames in the coming weeks.”

Fabrication works on the barges contract allowed Harland & Wolff to demonstrate its world class shipbuilding skills, recommission its vast fabrication hall and begin to pass these skills and methods on to the next generation of shipyard workers ahead of its ramp up following the award of the manufacture subcontract for the three Fleet Solid Support (FSS) Warship programme.

John Wood, CEO of Harland & Wolff, said: “It’s great to see the first vessel built in the yard since we acquired the yard in December 2019 completed and delivered. This is the first of 23 barges to be successfully delivered and we look forward to continuing to work with Cory across both Belfast and Methil. This contract is enabling us to build up the necessary workforce and skills we will require when we start to deliver on the FSS contract, with high quality local employment and apprenticeships.”

Last November, it was announced that the UK government had awarded a £1.6 billion contract for three Fleet Solid Support (FSS) ships to a Spanish-led consortium - with final assembly of the ships taking place at the Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast. Defence secretary Ben Wallace said: "You will see a ship entirely put together in Belfast – a warship for the first time in 15, 16 years. It's going to grow the jobs in Harland and Wolff, a historical yard. I think that is good news for British shipbuilding."