With the Brexit closing in, new opportunities are emerging for the shipping industry. According to the chief executive of Harland and Wolff, Jonathan Guest, the government should show greater support for UK shipbuilding firms after Brexit.
In fact, a previous review by BBC recommended that future naval ships should be built at UK yards, including Belfast.
Brexit offers opportunities, but the industry still needs government support, said Jonathan Guest told BBC.
The Frigates Hope
As of now, Harland and Wolff hopes to be a part of a government plan to build five new Royal Navy frigates which would be built across different shipyards, but assembled at a central site.
The Frigates will be ready for service by 2023.
About the company
Engineering firm Harland and Wolff built its last ship in 2003 and its more recent work has included refurbishing oil rigs, as well as work in the renewable energy sector.
Optimistic Future
“When you look at some of the build programmes that are coming up with the Royal Navy, that will obviously require UK content,” he told the BBC’s Inside Business programme.
Sounding confident about the company’s future prospect and reiterating his faith in UK, Mr. Guest said, “If you look at the volume of wind farm development that is still happening in the UK – the UK is still the number one region in the world for off-shore wind development.”
“I would like to see a bit less of the pan-European attitudes in the past and the government to enforce a little bit of the UK content element within that, and help support the industry.”
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Source: BBC
