Babcock has revealed the completion of its new advanced assembly hall at its Rosyth site in Scotland, known as ‘The Venturer Building’.
To mark the completion, the company held a ceremony at the site that saw the participation of Member of Parliament Douglas Chapman, industry representatives, Babcock employees, local school children and trade unions.
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The ‘topping out’ event at the new facility included a demonstration of two 125t gantry cranes. The cranes will be used by the company to assemble the new naval vessels.
The new facility will initially be used for the assembly of the Royal Navy’s Type 31 frigates.
The Venturer Building can accommodate two frigates for ‘uninterrupted, parallel assembly’.
It will also support productivity gains through enhanced access to the platforms and digital connectivity.
At the event, the company announced plans to recruit 500 workers for its Type 31 frigate programme.
According to the company, the initial jobs drive to support the programme will include posts for welders, fabricators, and mechanical and electrical fitters, as well as production support employees.
During the programme’s peak stage, an additional 1,250 people will be recruited across the UK.
Babcock Marine chief executive Will Erith said: “We are delighted to mark St Andrew’s Day by celebrating the completion of The Venturer Building, which builds on our exceptional heritage in Scotland, delivering a very real step change in capacity and capability for modern UK shipbuilding.
“This moment demonstrates further progress in the Type 31 programme and adds to the significant investment over the last decade at our facilities in Rosyth, bringing advancements and efficiencies into manufacturing, build and assembly processes.”
In September, Babcock marked the start of construction of the first Type 31 ship with a steel-cutting ceremony at its Rosyth dockyard.
