Morgan Sindall hands over £100m submarine building facility

The new submarine facility

A state-of-the-art £100m nuclear submarine building complex, used to outfit and test the most advanced submarines in the Royal Navy’s fleet, has been officially opened by defence secretary Gavin Williamson.

The 175,000 sq ft central yard facility in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, was built by construction and infrastructure company, Morgan Sindall, for defence giant BAE Systems.

Comprising production, workshop and office facilities, the central yard facility also features two cranes, each with a 150 tonne capacity and a 60m span.

Andrew Parker, director of defence at Morgan Sindall, said: “The complexity and scale of the site, coupled with the building’s design requirements, meant that the project required a team with particular expertise, and experience of working in partnership with defence contractors.

“We’re incredibly proud to have successfully delivered this project in collaboration with our sister company, BakerHicks.

“It is not only of vital importance to both BAE Systems, and the MoD, but also to the people of Barrow.”

Allan Day, BAE Systems submarines facilities programme director, said: “The central yard facility is a key component for the delivery of the Dreadnought programme, so it was a real privilege to witness it being formally opened by the defence secretary.

“His visit to Barrow was the culmination of many years’ hard work and collaboration by BAE Systems, Morgan Sindall and its sub-contractors.”

The defence secretary also used his visit to announce a further £2.5bn investment into the country’s nuclear submarine programme.

The Ministry of Defence has awarded BAE Systems a £1.5bn contract for delivery of the seventh Astute class submarine, alongside a further £900m for the next phase of the Dreadnought submarine programme.

Click here to sign up to receive our new South West business news...
Close