Navantia UK wins second Methil export vessel order

Navantia UK has secured a second new-build vessel export contract for its Methil yard in Fife and is recruiting 60 additional skilled workers as activity at the site increases, according to the company.

The order follows an earlier export contract secured during 2026 and comes after the yard completed construction of Navantia UK Seahorse, a barge being used to support delivery of the Fleet Solid Support ship programme for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.

Navantia UK said the latest recruitment campaign will focus on experienced welders and platers, alongside riggers, scaffolders and painters, with the new personnel intended to support a growing programme of work at Methil.

The company has also announced a further £12 million of investment in the Fife facility, covering training infrastructure, new machinery, site improvements and technology. That takes total investment at Methil to £26.7 million since Navantia acquired the yard in January 2025.

Employment at the site has grown from 180 people at the point of acquisition to 275, while 75 apprentices are now undergoing training there. The additional 60 posts would further increase the permanent skilled workforce as new vessel work moves through the yard.

According to a news update from Navantia UK, Steve Chisholm, General Manager at Methil, said: “Winning another export contract shows the progress being made at Methil and the confidence customers are placing in the yard.

“With Seahorse completed, new work coming in and investment going into the site, we are now recruiting more skilled people to help build the yard’s future workload.”

The Methil facility has a long history of heavy engineering and offshore fabrication, with the latest recruitment drive intended to add experienced trades alongside the company’s apprentice intake.

Navantia UK included comments from several long-serving workers at the site. Allan Lister, a plater who began working at the yard in 1985, said: “I’ve worked all over Britain, and the guys you worked with here, nine times out of ten, were better than anybody else.”

Peter Ednie, who started as a burner in 1982, said: “I’ve cut steel over 300 millimetres thick.” Welder Willie Gibson, who also joined the yard in 1982, added: “We’ve got some really good apprentices.”

Katherine Thorn, Head of Talent and Culture at Navantia UK, said: “These are good skilled jobs, with the opportunity to work on significant programmes, develop long-term careers and contribute to the future of shipbuilding in Fife.

“We are looking for experienced welders and platers who want to join a growing team at a yard with a proud industrial heritage and a stronger pipeline of work.”

The company also pointed to potential future work connected with the floating docks programme for HM Naval Base Clyde. Navantia UK said Methil is well placed to support the programme following an announcement by the Chancellor earlier this month that the infrastructure would be built and delivered through UK shipyards.

The yard is already involved in work connected with the Fleet Solid Support programme through construction of the Seahorse barge, which is supporting delivery of the new replenishment ships for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.

Navantia UK acquired the Methil facility in January 2025 and has since been investing in its workforce and industrial capability as it seeks to build a broader order book spanning domestic and export work.

Rhea Wolfson, GMB Scotland secretary, said: “Under new ownership, this shipyard is going from strength to strength with new investment being reflected in orders and recruitment.

“The importance of these skilled jobs and quality apprenticeships to the communities of Fife and Scotland’s industrial capability cannot be overstated.”

The new export order is the second secured for Methil during 2026, while the recruitment campaign will add welders, platers and other specialist trades to a workforce that has already increased by more than 50 per cent since Navantia UK took control of the site.