The Ministry of Defence has announced a £230 million deal with the shipbuilders BVT that it claims will help to secure the future of the industry in Scotland for the next 15 years.
The Scottish Secretary, Jim Murphy, said that the agreement would secure a minimum level of work from the MoD at the Clyde shipbuilders. “This agreement provides a bright and brilliant future for shipbuilding on the Clyde. It also gives the industry the framework it needs to plan for the future,” he said.
“That means jobs and it means skills for Scotland and it is great news, especially coming at a time of economic uncertainty. The British Government strongly supports the Clyde yards — this announcement shows that we back up our words with action.”
BVT is already the major contractor in the building of six Type 45 destroyers and will play a role in the construction of two Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers worth £4 billion.
Alan Johnston, the chief executive of BVT, said: “This will ensure that we can affordably deliver key capability to the Royal Navy in this country for many years to come, strengthen our competitiveness in the international market and deliver security to the shipyards that has not been known for decades.”