A major fabrication hall has opened at Belfast's historic Harland & Wolff shipyard as part of Navantia UK's £157 million investment programme across four British shipyards, supporting the construction of three Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels.
The Resurgent Hall, opened on 2 November 2026, adds modern manufacturing capacity at a site where approximately £100 million is being invested. The Ministry of Defence says more than 900 jobs and apprenticeships are supported in Belfast.
New fabrication hall opens at Harland & Wolff
The Resurgent Hall opened at Navantia UK's Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast on 2 November 2026. The facility adds 5,000 square metres of fabrication space, with new cranes, robotic plasma-cutting equipment and a mechanised panel line. Defence Readiness and Industry Minister Luke Pollard officially opened the hall. The company is also refurbishing the shipyard's Samson and Goliath cranes.
Three ships for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary
The hall will support construction of RFA Resurgent, RFA Reliant and RFA Resourceful, three Fleet Solid Support ships that will replenish Royal Navy task groups with ammunition, spare parts, food and other stores while at sea. Navantia UK is the prime contractor for the approximately £1.6 billion Ministry of Defence programme. Ship modules are being built at UK and Spanish facilities, with final assembly, integration and trials planned in Belfast. All three ships are due to enter service in the early 2030s.
More than 900 jobs and apprenticeships supported
The Ministry of Defence says the Belfast facility supports more than 900 skilled jobs and apprenticeships, including shipbuilding, engineering and fabrication roles. This is a figure for positions supported, not a claim that 900 entirely new posts were created on opening day. Across its UK yards, Navantia supports more than 1,300 jobs and over 340 apprentices and has committed to creating 750 apprenticeships by 2030.
Defence spending in Northern Ireland reaches £464 million
The Ministry of Defence also reported that its expenditure with Northern Ireland industry rose 63% in real terms in 2025/26, reaching £464 million, its highest level since records began. That figure covers wider defence-industry expenditure over the financial year and is separate from the new hall's construction and the shipbuilding programme.
How the £157 million investment is funded
The £157 million investment programme is Navantia UK's programme across four British shipyards, including approximately £100 million being invested in Belfast. It is not a newly announced £157 million government grant. Separately, the Ministry of Defence is funding the Fleet Solid Support procurement programme, valued at approximately £1.6 billion. The hall's opening is a completed industrial milestone within these wider investments.
Why the ships matter
Fleet Solid Support vessels will supply Royal Navy ships at sea, helping task groups sustain longer deployments without returning to port for essential stores. They will serve in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, which supports the Royal Navy, rather than being commissioned Royal Navy warships. The Belfast facility is intended to strengthen domestic industrial capacity for the current programme and potential future maritime contracts.
What happens next?
Manufacturing and assembly work will continue across Navantia's shipyards, with final assembly, integration and trials at Belfast. The Ministry of Defence says the three-ship programme is progressing on schedule and within budget, with entry into service expected in the early 2030s. The longer-term economic effect will depend on delivery of the vessels and any subsequent contracts.