It’s hard to believe we are almost halfway through the year. It has been a busy year for the SLR team as we support the thriving marine sector across the UK. It seemed timely to look at the shipbuilding sector around the UK in terms of what has happened this year and what is planned for the second half of the year into 2024.

Griffin Hoverwork

You may have seen our recent post on our LinkedIn page, announcing how excited we were to be recruiting for Griffin Hoverwork Ltd. The latest project which was announced recently is three passenger hovercrafts for a project in Japan. We are currently seeking metal fabricators for this new line of work. Whilst we recruit for shipyards around the UK, it’s always exciting when projects are taking place locally with Griffon having one of its bases in Porchester. Our network of Portsmouth-based skilled tradespeople means we are in prime position to support Griffon Hoverwork throughout 2023 and beyond.

Belfast

Across the water in Belfast – known for its historic construction of the Titanic – the Harland and Wolff Shipyard announced at the start of this year that they would be creating 900 jobs in Belfast and +800 further jobs across the entire supply chain. The £1.6 billion contract is an exciting injection into the marine sector economy.

Scotland

In April, the Ministry of Defence published its renewed commitment to ensure sustainable demand for naval shipbuilding. The initiative set to take place over 30 years should ensure a shipbuilding pipeline with over 150 new vessels. The type 26 and type 31 vessels are due to be built by Babcock in Rosyth and show the UK government’s continued investment in promoting Scottish shipbuilding. The hope is the pipeline will provide jobs and confidence in the market, as well as develop young people through apprenticeships.

Border security

The UK Defence Journal put forward that more clarity would be needed on the border forces’ maritime command following The National Shipbuilding Strategy update. The Border Force currently operates with a fleet of six coastal patrol vessels alongside five cutters; the concern is they are all nearing the end of their service life. Kevin Jones MP stated he wants assurance that the work will go to British shipyards.

How do all these developments impact the shipbuilding sector?

We are incredibly lucky to be supplying skilled tradespeople in such an exciting and thriving sector. With a huge injection of cash from the government through the National Shipbuilding strategy, the marine sector looks set to go from strength to strength.

SLR is strategically located in the historic waterfront city of Portsmouth. Not only are we on hand to supply the dockyard, but with Southampton just up the road at a thriving cruise liner refit business and shipbuilding going on in Porchester, we could not be better placed.

We have been working in marine recruitment for many years now and have built an exceptional local network of skilled tradespeople we can access quickly to meet the demands of shipyards up and down the UK.

If you are looking for work in shipbuilding, get in touch with us today.