Commodore Sam Shattock, head of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, and Rear Admiral Matthew Stratton, Director Naval Acquisition, have toured Navantia UK’s Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast as investment in the Fleet Solid Support (FSS) programme surpassed £98.5 million. The visit highlights an upgraded fabrication hall, mechanised panel lines, robotic plasma cutting systems and automated quality control processes that will be fully operational from July. FSS is one of the most consequential live UK naval shipbuilding pulls — three solid support ships destined for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, designed to keep the carrier strike group sustained on operations. The programme…
