Harland & Wolff buys military ship from MOD
Harland & Wolff has bought a military ship from the Ministry of Defence (MOD).
The offshore construction company said it has acquired the HMS Atherstone – a mine hunting vessel no longer in service – to refurbish it for non-military uses.
The HMS Atherstone was bought as part of Harland & Wolff’s attempt to regenerate former mine hunter HMS Quorn, also known as M55.
According to Harland & Wolff’s chief executive John Wood, buying HMS Atherstone will decrease the risks of regenerating the M55 as the two ships have few parts in common.
“The benefits of this acquisition are two-fold; we now can significantly de-risk the M55 regeneration programme by utilising spares and component parts common to the two vessels, which has been recognised by MOD and will certainly help in closing out the negotiations over the next few weeks,” he said.
“Secondly, we also can utilise this platform as the basis for other clients’ projects, which will be a valuable revenue stream for 2023.”
The Ministry of Defence announced it was selling the HMS Atherstone in June 2020.