Construction has begun on a new ship build hall at BAE Systems’ Govan shipyard now that the basin has been filled and piling has begun, the company announced on 16 October 2023.
Measuring 170 m long and 80 m wide, the vast new hall will be large enough for two Type 26 frigates to be constructed side-by-side.
Being constructed by McLaughlin and Harvey, the hall will consist of more than 6,000 tonnes of steel and 20,000 m3 of concrete. Once complete, it will help enable efficient and safe shipbuilding for decades to come with future work unaffected by adverse weather, BAE Systems noted. With two 100-tonne cranes and a further two 20-tonne cranes, the facility is designed to accommodate up to 500 workers per shift.
The hall is a key element of the GBP 300 M (EUR 346 M) modernisation and digitalisation of BAE Systems’ shipbuilding facilities at Govan and Scotstoun.
BAE Systems secured a GBP 4.2 Bn contract with the UK Ministry of Defence in November 2022 to build five more Type 26 frigates for the Royal Navy in addition to the initial three ordered.
Steel was cut on the fourth Type 26, Birmingham, in April this year and work on the first three ships is already well under way. First-of-class Glasgow is at BAE Systems’ Scotstoun shipyard having complex systems installed, while Cardiff is currently being assembled and Belfast is in its early construction phase.
All eight frigates will be built in Govan and Scotstoun, with the work sustaining approximately 1,700 jobs in Scotland with a further 2,300 jobs across the wider UK supply chain, according to BAE Systems.
