The Belfast company that built the Titanic has announced it is insolvent, putting between 50 and 60 jobs at risk.
Harland & Wolff, famous for its iconic cranes known as Samson and Goliath in Belfast docks, said it is about to appoint administrators.
Most of the jobs at risk are in London and will be lost immediately, with staff employed at its four shipyards not affected. H&W’s four sites are in Belfast, Methil and Arnish in Scotland, and Appledore in north Devon.
This is the second time in five years the shipbuilding company has been placed into administration. It was bought out of administration in 2019 by InfraStrata, a small energy firm with little experience in marine engineering.
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Matt Roberts, GMB national officer, said the announcement could throw families “into chaos due to chronic failures in industrial strategy and corporate mismanagement”.
The union wants the government to intervene to protect the company and ensure it can deliver key contracts such as its Fleet Solid Support project, a contract to deliver three support ships for the Royal Navy.
Roberts added: “All the four Harland & Wolff yards are needed for our future sovereign capabilities in sectors like renewables and shipbuilding.
“The government must now act to ensure no private company is allowed to cherry pick what parts are retained, in terms of which yards or contracts they wish to save.”
“Leaving these vital yards – and the crucial FSS contract with all its promises for UK shipbuilding – to the mercy of the market is not good enough. The government must provide support and oversight to get the market to the solution we need.”
A government spokesperson said the administration announcement would not affect shipyard jobs or key contracts.
They said: “We are continuing to work extensively with all parties to find an outcome for Harland & Wolff that delivers shipbuilding and manufacturing in Belfast, Scotland and across the rest of the UK and protects jobs.”
After a review of group holdings that began in July, financial advisers were appointed to find potential investors and “a number of parties” expressed an interest in “some or all” of the group’s activities, the company said.
H&W employs around 1,500 people across all of its operations.
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