A new fabrication hall has opened at Navantia UK's Harland & Wolff site in Belfast, supporting more than 900 skilled jobs and apprenticeships in the city. The Resurgent Hall was officially opened on 2 November 2026 by Luke Pollard, Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry.

The hall is the centrepiece of Navantia UK's £157 million investment programme across its four UK shipyards, with around £100 million being spent in Belfast alone. The expanded building adds 5,000 square metres of fabrication space, fitted with new cranes, robotic plasma-cutting technology and a mechanised panel line, giving the yard the capability to deliver the Royal Fleet Auxiliary's Fleet Solid Support programme.

Navantia UK is prime contractor for the programme and is leading fabrication and final assembly of three support ships, RFA Resurgent, RFA Reliant and RFA Resourceful, backed by £1.6 billion of Ministry of Defence funding. The ships are expected to enter service in the early 2030s. Roles supported by the investment include welding, fabrication and crane operations.

Since acquiring the Harland & Wolff, Appledore, Methil and Arnish sites in January 2025, Navantia has grown into one of the UK's leading shipbuilding employers, now supporting more than 1,300 jobs and over 340 apprentices across Northern Ireland, England and Scotland. The company has committed to creating 750 apprenticeships by 2030, up from a previous target of 500. The opening follows a 63% real-terms rise in Ministry of Defence investment in Northern Ireland's defence industry to £464 million in 2025/26. Read the GOV.UK announcement for the full details, and check Navantia UK's careers pages for live vacancies and apprenticeship openings.