MOD awards £55m contract to Titanic shipyard Harland & Wolff
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has awarded a £55m contract to a shipyard in Devon operated by Harland & Wolff, the Belfast group famous for building the Titanic.
The company said this was a “watershed moment,” the Telegraph first reported.
As part of the contract, the shipyard will refurbish an old Royal Navy mine hunter, which will then be sold to Lithuania.
Lasting up to two years, the works will start next month.
“This contract is validation that the government can go elsewhere, recognising the investment and progress made over the last two years to put the company in a position to execute on such programmes,” said chief executive John Wood.
The MOD’s contract has come at a delicate time for the company, weeks after the HMRC filed two petitions to have the business shut down over unpaid bills.
Both petitions were withdrawn.
According to Harland, the alleged debts incurred with the HMRC were the results of issues with its accounting system and were made in error.