Harland & Wolff: 'Strong case' to keep yards together

Historic Belfast shipyard could see 125 jobs saved by deal between ministers

Talks between the UK and NI governments and the administrators could result in merger

Talks between the UK and Northern Ireland governments and the administrators of the Harland & Wolff shipyard are continuing in a bid to save the historic yard and secure 125 jobs.

The Belfast Telegraph understands a proposal has been put forward to merge the two yards into one entity, which would form the largest fabrication yard in the UK.

The proposal would see Harland & Wolff's two yards in Belfast and Methil, Scotland, combined into a single entity, with the Belfast yard specialising in heavy fabrication and the Methil yard focusing on offshore wind.

The deal would be a major boost for the Belfast economy and would secure the future of the shipyard, which has been in operation for over 150 years.

Harland & Wolff was once one of the largest shipyards in the world, but it has fallen on hard times in recent years. The yard was placed into administration in 2019 after it failed to secure a contract to build two ferries for Irish Ferries.

The UK and NI governments have been working to save the yard and have provided financial support to the administrators. The proposed merger would be a major step towards securing the future of the yard.

A spokesperson for the UK government said: "We are working closely with the Northern Ireland Executive and the administrators of Harland & Wolff to explore all options to secure the future of the shipyard."