Frigate order could help rescue troubled British yard

There is hope a new British navy frigate order could help rescue troubled Northern Irish yard Harland & Wolff. Harland & Wolff is part of a consortium led by the Babcock group which has been awarded a 1.25 billion pound (1.4 billion euro) contract from the British ministry of defence to build five frigates (New Ships 37/2019). But Harland & Wolff is insolvent, in the hands of administrators and up for sale. Harland & Wolff is part of the Babcock Team 31 which the British defence ministry has selected as the preferred bidder to build the frigates. Babcock and the Thales Group are the lead partners in the consortium of companies which also includes BMT Defence Services and Ferguson Marine, a yard which is also in financial difficulties and which has been taken into state ownership by the Scottish regional government. But analysts warn that Harland & Wolff must first meet a series of conditions before it could work on large government contracts. Firstly, the administrator needs to find a buyer and secondly that buyer will need to make their intentions clear. Babcock has said that Harland's financial difficulties would not affect its bid because its "flexible build approach" could accommodate "a range of delivery sites" so other yards in Britain could get Harland’s work on the frigates.