MCLAUGHLIN & Harvey has commenced work on the construction of a new ship build hall tipped to ‘transform’ and ‘enhance’ shipbuilding in Glasgow.
The build follows BAE Systems securing a £4.2 billion contract with the Ministry of Defence to build five more Type 26 ships, with the ship hall being a ‘key’ element of the firm’s £300 million modernisation and digitalisation of its shipbuilding facilities at Govan and Scotstoun.
BAE Systems said the ship build hall will shortly begin to take shape now that the basin has been filled and piling has begun. Measuring 170m-long and 80m-wide, the vast facility will be large enough for two Type 26 frigates to be constructed side-by-side.
The build will see the use of more than 6,000 tonnes of steel and 20,000m³ of concrete. Once complete, the hall will help enable efficient and safe shipbuilding for decades to come with future work unaffected by adverse weather. With two 100-tonne cranes and a further two 20-tonne cranes, the facility is designed to accommodate up to 500 workers per shift.
All eight frigates will be built in Govan and Scotstoun with the work sustaining approximately 1,700 jobs in Scotland with a further 2,300 jobs across the wider UK supply chain, BAE Systems added.
Simon Lister, MD of Naval Ships at BAE Systems, said, “We are the proud custodians of shipbuilding on the Clyde and our talented teams are working hard to build on that legacy to secure Glasgow’s status as a shipbuilding centre of excellence for generations to come.
“This new hall will give us some of the best facilities in the world and completely modernise our approach to shipbuilding. It, alongside the investments already under way to digitise our processes, will ensure Govan continues to be something that the city of Glasgow can be truly proud of.”
