Falklands contract for Harland and Wolff

Harland & Wolff are in line for a multimillion contract to build a port in the Falkland Islands.

The Belfast-based shipyard, remembered for building the Titanic, was its “preferred bidder” the Falklands’ government announced after putting out to tender the contract for a new floating dock in late 2023.

The company explained on March 5 that the contract was subject to final negotiations on pricing and commercial arrangements but would be worth between £100 million (€116.9 million) and £120 million (€140.3 million) spread over two years.

The Falklands deal provides a further boost to the fortunes of Harland and Wolff which had to close a subsidiary in 2022 over an unpaid £92,275 (€107,839) tax bill.

The non-payment was an administrative error, insisted Harland, which shortly afterwards saw an improvement to its fortunes on winning a £55 million (€64.3 million) contract to revamp a Lithuanian minesweeper formerly owned by the Royal Navy.

The company, founded in 1861 by Edward Harland and his German business partner Gustav Wolff, then went on to share a contract to build supply ships for the Royal Navy.

The existing Port Stanley dock that Harland installed in 1984 is now obsolete, and work on its replacement is likely to begin later in 2024.  Involving the construction, transportation and installation of four 90-metre floating pontoons, work will be shared amongst the shipbuilder’s multiple facilities.

Its four sites in Belfast, Devon, Scotland and Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides all have the capacity to build the pontoons, a company statement said.