Spanish state-owned shipbuilding and engineering company Navantia Group has revealed that the British shipbuilder Harland & Wolff (H&W), acquired in early 2025, is not currently qualified to build the Royal Navy’s first Fleet Support Ship (FSS). This is because H&W has not yet completed its modernization. The first ship will instead be built at Navantia’s Cadiz shipyard in Spain. This will be the first time a British ship has been built in Spain.
Donato Martinez, CEO of Navantia UK, the British subsidiary of Navantia, explained: “We have made slight adjustments to the construction plan for the Royal Navy’s first fleet support ship. The first ship will be built at a shipyard in Spain, while some construction work originally planned for ships No. 2 and No. 3 in Spain will be transferred to H&W.”
It is worth mentioning that before announcing the adjustment of the construction plan of the first ship, Navantia had already decided to hand over the complex parts of the construction of the first ship to the Cadiz shipyard.
This adjustment could have a significant impact on H&W and surrounding shipyards, which were originally scheduled to deliver the ship blocks to H&W. Construction of the first ship was originally scheduled to begin in December 2025 at H&W’s Appledore shipyard. Construction of a dedicated transport barge has already begun, and H&W and its surrounding shipyards have begun recruiting apprentices.
The Royal Navy’s FSS project was jointly awarded to H&W and Navantia, before the two shipbuilders merged. The project’s total cost is currently estimated at approximately $2.7 billion. Despite a change in the shipyard for the lead ship, the project remains on schedule, with all deliveries scheduled for 2032.
With a history of over 150 years, H&W is one of the oldest shipyards in the shipbuilding industry and is famous for building the Titanic. Like most European shipyards, H&W has faced numerous difficulties in recent years. The last ship was delivered in 2009, and the yard has subsequently fallen into bankruptcy twice since 2019.
At the end of December 2024, Navantia reached an acquisition agreement with H&W. Earlier this year, with the support of the UK government, Navantia UK completed the acquisition of H&W from bankruptcy administration for approximately £69.9 million. The company also agreed to waive £23 million of debt provided between October 2024 and the completion of the transaction to maintain operations at its four shipyards, successfully saving approximately 1,000 jobs.
As the new owner of the shipyard, Navantia UK announced at the time of the acquisition that it would spend £100 million to upgrade H&W’s four shipyards. The relevant projects are expected to be completed in June 2026. As a result, H&W “missed” the construction of the first ship.