Harland and Wolff News: Navantia’s £93m Acquisition

Few shipyards carry a name as heavy as Harland & Wolff. The Belfast yard that built the Titanic now stands at a crossroads after being bought by Spanish state-owned Navantia for £93 million, with shipbuilding halted and a pivot to defence and renewables underway.

Acquisition price paid by Navantia: £93 million ·
Year founded: 1861 ·
Number of shipyards acquired: 4 ·
Current status of shipbuilding operations: Ceased at Belfast yard; future uncertain ·
Key milestone (Titanic built): 1912

Six key facts about the historic shipyard and its acquisition:

What happened to Harland and Wolff today?

Navantia UK completes acquisition of Harland & Wolff

• Navantia UK finalised the purchase of Harland & Wolff’s facilities on 2025-01-27, according to Harland & Wolff.
• The deal covers four sites: Belfast, Appledore, Arnish, and Methil (Harland & Wolff).
• UK business and trade secretary Jonathan Reynolds said the acquisition would protect 1,000 jobs across the country (Seatrade Cruise News).

Details of the £93 million deal

• Navantia paid £93 million for the four yards (Seatrade Cruise News).
• An additional £77 million has been committed to modernise the yards and support the Fleet Solid Support programme (The Maritime Executive).

Are Harland and Wolff still making ships?

Shipbuilding operations at Belfast yard today

• As of 2025, the Belfast yard has not secured any new commercial shipbuilding orders and construction of new vessels has ceased (Harland & Wolff).
• The company previously entered administration on 2024-09-27 (Seatrade Cruise News).

Current contracts and future plans

• All four yards are now being realigned toward defence contracts—primarily the Fleet Solid Support (FSS) programme—and renewable energy projects (Joint Forces News).
• Navantia UK has described Belfast as the “beating heart” of its FSS programme and plans to make it one of the most advanced shipbuilding facilities in the UK (Navantia UK).

Who is buying Harland and Wolff?

Navantia UK: the new owner profile

• Navantia UK is a subsidiary of the Spanish state-owned shipbuilding company Navantia (Navantia UK).
• Navantia is one of Europe’s largest naval shipbuilders, with a strong track record in warship construction and through-life support.

Navantia’s global shipbuilding footprint

• Navantia operates yards in Spain and has previously partnered with the UK for the Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier programme.
• The acquisition of Harland & Wolff gives Navantia a permanent physical presence in the UK, positioning it to compete for future Royal Navy contracts.

Why did Harland and Wolff close?

Financial struggles and administration

• Harland & Wolff entered administration on 2024-09-27 after failing to secure new orders in a depressed commercial shipbuilding market (Seatrade Cruise News).
• The company had been loss-making for years, unable to compete with Asian yards on price or turnaround time.

Decline of commercial shipbuilding in the UK

• The UK’s commercial shipbuilding industry has contracted sharply since the 1960s. Harland & Wolff was the last major player on the island of Ireland.
• By 2024, the Belfast yard was operating largely as a repair and maintenance facility, with no new-build orders in its pipeline.

Why this matters: The decline mirrors a broader industrial story. Without the Navantia deal, Harland & Wolff’s yards would likely have closed permanently, eliminating 1,000 direct jobs and hundreds more in the supply chain.

How much did Navantia pay for Harland and Wolff?

Breakdown of the £93 million deal

• The purchase price of £93 million included all four yards and their infrastructure (Seatrade Cruise News).
• Navantia also agreed to a £77 million investment plan to upgrade the yards for the FSS programme (The Maritime Executive).

What the money covers

• Capital improvements at each yard: Belfast for modular shipbuilding, Appledore for smaller vessels, Arnish for renewables components, and Methil for steel processing.
• The UK government also backed the deal, though the exact terms of sovereign support have not been disclosed (Seatrade Cruise News).

The trade-off: For £93 million, Navantia gains a foothold in the UK defence market and four strategically located yards. But the price also reflects the heavy investment needed to bring these facilities up to modern naval standards.

For the workers at Harland & Wolff and the communities built around its cranes, the Navantia deal is not a return to glory—it’s a survival plan with a defence-sector bet. The Belfast yard may never again launch a passenger liner, but it now has a shot at becoming a modern naval construction hub. The choice for Belfast is clear: accept the pivot to defence and renewables, or watch the iconic shipyard’s legacy fade into history.

The acquisition follows the historic legacy of Titanics construction at Harland and Wolff, where the Belfast yard famously produced the ill-fated liner in 1912.

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