Harland & Wolff recruits skilled trades as Fleet Solid Support work ramps up

Harland & Wolff has launched a recruitment campaign for 28 skilled tradespeople as construction activity increases on the Royal Fleet Auxiliary's Fleet Solid Support (FSS) programme, which will see the largest vessels built at the Belfast yard in a generation.

The shipbuilder, owned by Navantia UK, is seeking to recruit 21 welders, five platers and two pipefitters to support production of the vessels, which form part of the UK's effort to renew and expand naval support capabilities.

The hiring drive coincides with a wider investment programme by Navantia UK, which has committed GBP 98.5 million (EUR 114.2 million) to modernise facilities, upgrade technology and expand the workforce at the historic Belfast shipyard.

The FSS programme marks the return of large-scale shipbuilding to Belfast and is expected to play a significant role in rebuilding industrial capability at the yard following its integration into Navantia UK.

Carlos Lopez Carregado, general manager at Harland & Wolff, said: "The Fleet Solid Support programme is bringing major shipbuilding back to Belfast and creating an opportunity for local tradespeople to help deliver vessels of genuine national importance."

The Fleet Solid Support ships will provide replenishment and logistics support to Royal Navy operations, transporting ammunition, food, equipment and other supplies to vessels deployed at sea.

The recruitment campaign forms part of broader efforts to increase workforce capacity ahead of the programme's next construction phases. Harland & Wolff said the new hires will help transform recent investment in facilities and equipment into operational shipbuilding capability, supporting a project that is expected to play a central role in the future of the Belfast yard and the wider UK naval shipbuilding sector.