Harland & Wolff delivers first ship in 20 years

Waste management firm Cory has ordered 23 barges from Harland & Wolff

The Belfast shipyard Harland & Wolff has delivered its first complete vessel in more than 20 years.

A barge has been delivered to Cory, a London-based waste management firm, the first of 23 ordered from the shipyard.

The last ship to be completed at the yard was the Anvil Point which was launched in 2003.

Harland and Wolff is due to begin work on a much bigger and more complex contract for the Royal Navy in 2025.

It is part of the Team Resolute consortium which will build three naval support ships.

The ships will provide munitions, stores and provisions to the Royal Navy's aircraft carriers, destroyers and frigates deployed at sea.

The entire final assembly for these ships is due to be carried out in Belfast.

John Wood, chief executive of Harland & Wolff, said it was "great to see the first vessel built in the yard since we acquired it in December 2019".

He added the barge contract was "enabling us to build up the necessary workforce and skills we will require" ahead of work on the naval vessels.