Work on the Royal Navy’s first Fleet Solid Support vessel is shifting to Cádiz as Belfast facilities fall behind schedule.

Navantia UK has confirmed that a substantial portion of the first Fleet Solid Support (FSS) ship will be built in Spain because Harland & Wolff’s Belfast yard is not yet ready to handle the planned workload. Only the bow of the inaugural vessel will be manufactured at Appledore in Devon, with part of the central section now moving to Navantia’s Cádiz yard. The consortium maintains that final assembly of all three ships will still take place in the United Kingdom.

The FSS contract, awarded in 2022 to a team led by Spain’s Navantia and Northern Ireland’s Harland & Wolff, is valued at £1.6 billion and covers three logistics support ships for the Royal Navy. The original plan split construction between Appledore, Belfast and Spanish facilities, with final assembly in Northern Ireland. The British Ministry of Defence said the overall strategy is unchanged and the delivery timeline, with all three ships due in service by 2032, remains intact.

Industry and political critics in Britain argue the production shift reduces UK content, echoing earlier union concerns when the tender beat a fully domestic bid. Navantia has increased its investment in Harland & Wolff to £115 million and expects Belfast to be fully operational by mid‑2026, while also positioning for future UK contracts such as the MRSS programme.

Source: La Vanguardia