The UK Government has confirmed that three floating dry docks for the Faslane naval base will be built in the UK, with a Scots fabrication yard emerging as the frontrunner for the work. The £6bn contract, named Programme Euston, will deliver three floating docks and associated infrastructure to the base on the Clyde.
Douglas Alexander, the Scottish Secretary, told the Record he had met with the Spanish owners of Methil docks on the Fife coast and urged them to bid for the project. Unions believe the work is a "once in a generation" opportunity to secure long-term work for yards in Methil and Belfast, which are both owned by Navantia.
UK-only tender welcomed
The GMB union has campaigned for Programme Euston to be awarded to Navantia shipyards in Methil and Belfast and welcomed the UK-only tender. Robert Deavy, GMB Scotland senior organiser in engineering, said defence procurement must help create and protect skilled jobs and apprenticeships in the UK while underpinning local economies.
"For far too long, huge UK contracts have been sent around the world to fund good jobs everywhere but here," he said. "The world has changed though and it is good to see a UK Government ready to invest in our sovereign industrial capability. It is beyond time."
Industrial strategy
John Healey, the Chancellor, told the Labour conference in Liverpool that the facilities were vital to national security and would support domestic shipbuilding as part of a "new age of industrialisation". He said: "Our coal mines are not coming back. But this is how Britain's industrial past is being remade now for the modern world. This is the new age of industrialisation. A new confidence in Britain."
Alexander struck an upbeat tone when discussing the project. "This provides a real opportunity for Scottish workers," he said. "Since John Healey took to the stage, I've sat with the management of Navantia and urged them to bid to secure work from that project."
The new facilities will provide crucial maintenance for the UK's current and future fleet of nuclear submarines, allowing essential inspections, upgrades and repairs to be carried out.
