Navantia UK to build barge for MoD at Methil

Image courtesy Navantia UK

The barge is a strategic investment by the company to enable efficient delivery of its Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) awarded Fleet Solid Support (FSS) ships contract for the Royal Navy. 

The Scottish Secretary, Ian Murray, cut the first steel for the barge today while visiting Navantia UK’s yard to discuss a ‘defence dividend’ in jobs and economic growth for Scotland from a pledge by the Government to increase UK-wide defence spending.

The purpose-built vessel will transport ship blocks between the company’s Appledore and Belfast facilities, facilitating construction of the Fleet Solid Support ships across multiple sites. Designed for long-term use, the barge will support not only the delivery of the FSS ships but future shipbuilding programmes as well. 

The barge will be 85 metres long and 25 metres wide – giving it a surface area equivalent to 10 tennis courts – and it will weigh 1,400 tonnes. Bow sections of FSS ships will be built on board the barge, at Navantia UK’s Appledore shipyard in Devon, before being transported to Belfast. 

Building the barge represents an investment of £8 million by Navantia UK, which expects to expand the workforce at Methil to deliver the vessel, with 35 positions to be created. The project enables the yard to continue with its apprenticeship programme with recruitment to begin immediately of 14 new apprentices. 

Matt Smith, General Manager at Methil, said: "This project is good news for Methil and our skilled workforce and it positions us to support future defence work. We’re particularly pleased to be able to continue our established apprenticeship programme and recruit more apprentices on the back of this award, ensuring we develop the next generation of skilled marine engineers." 

Scottish Secretary Ian Murray said: “It is fantastic news that the team at Methil will be fabricating this barge which will play a key role in building three fleet support ships. Workers at the yard are highly skilled and will be playing a key role delivering in this important defence contract.”

Minister for the Armed Forces, Luke Pollard, said: "This project at Methil shows how our Armed Forces act as an engine for growth, driving economic opportunity across the UK and delivering on the government’s Plan for Change. Military capabilities like this barge create real economic benefits for Scottish communities whilst supporting our naval operations. The barge will support the Fleet Solid Support ships that keep our Carrier Strike Group supplied at sea, ensuring our Armed Forces have the tools they need to keep Britain safe at home and strong abroad."

Robert Deavy, GMB Scotland’s Senior Organiser in Engineering, said: “We welcome this clear progress towards a secure and sustainable future for a yard that is capable of playing an important role in Scotland’s industrial strategy. We are confident the positive change now underway in Methil can untap the full potential of a skilled and committed workforce.”

Bob MacGregor, Unite Industrial Officer, said: “Unite warmly welcomes the expansion of the Navantia workforce at the Methil yard. The increase in new apprenticeships in particular is a great step forward for the yard which will construct a barge to assist with the delivery of three Royal Navy ships. It is a positive development which signals that the Methil yard and its highly skilled workforce remain critical to Scotland’s industrial base.”

Navantia UK is a new force in British industry, supporting the UK’s defence, security and energy transition ambitions. Since acquiring Harland & Wolff’s four sites in January 2025, Navantia UK has begun investing to enhance the UK sovereign capabilities in defence, maritime and energy sectors. Drawing on Navantia’s global expertise, the company is modernising facilities, transferring knowledge and implementing new technologies – strengthening UK industrial capacity.