Defence Minister Luke Pollard Visits Balaena’s Birkenhead Yard and RFA Tidesurge
Luke Pollard MP, Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry, joined us at our Birkenhead yard for a visit to the site and RFA Tidesurge, seeing first-hand the people, facilities and engineering capability supporting the UK’s defence and maritime requirements.
The Minister was joined by Rod Paterson, Head of the National Shipbuilding Office, alongside Balaena Chairman Alan Donnelly, Chief Technology Officer Linton Roberts and John Furmston CEng CMarEng FIMarEST, Special Projects.
During the visit, the delegation toured the Birkenhead facilities and saw the work being delivered on RFA Tidesurge, as well as discussing the wider capability and capacity available across Balaena.
That capability extends well beyond Birkenhead. Across our five locations in Birkenhead, Tyne, Falmouth, Padstow and Gibraltar, Balaena brings together shipbuilding, ship repair, fabrication, engineering and specialist maritime expertise.
With skilled people, major infrastructure and capacity across the group, we are focused on supporting the UK’s shipbuilding and defence ambitions today, while continuing to invest in the capability required for the programmes of the future.
The visit was another opportunity to demonstrate the strength of the UK’s maritime industrial base and the role Balaena can play in delivering long-term sovereign shipbuilding, repair and defence capability.
