Harland and Wolff
Quay players
From consultancy through advanced engineering, fabrication and support, Harland and Wolff is well positioned to support the needs of the marine, offshore and civil engineering sectors.
Based in Belfast, the company has some of the largest facilities in Europe, the building dock alone measures over half a kilometre long and 93 metres wide, while the ship repair dock, outfit, commissioning and steel quays are among the most impressive in the industry. Throughout its history Harland and Wolff has produced some of the largest, most sophisticated and technically 
advanced engineering products, having made the move from a ship building focus to the three main areas of marine, construction and design engineering.
David McVeigh, sales and marketing manager, outlines the company’s main capabilities: “Within the marine sector we are focused on ship repair, conversion, refits and upgrades. With the enormous facilities we offer we can also take on semi-submersibles and accommodate them in our main dock. We can manufacture new skids and modules, such as accommodation units and power generation modules, and are experiencing a growing trend in the construction of renewable green energy generators for wind, wave and tide use in the marine market. We also work with the oil and gas industry, providing services for jackup rigs, jacket structures and gravity bases – our abilities are comprehensive.”
The company is set apart from its competitors by the sheer experience of its staff and the intense knowledge of the industry they hold. All of Harland and Wolff’s employees are experienced ship builders, each possessing at least 20 years know-how having built some of the most impressive and diverse constructions from Deep-Sea Drill Ships to FPSO’s and shuttle tankers. Coupled with the huge facilities the organisation holds, no project is too big or daunting and the company is able to offer an unrivalled completeness to the market.
Predominantly operating in the western European market, Harland and Wolff’stransportable skills in the area of engineering design reach all corners of the globe. From concept design through to 3D product models and manufacturing information, the company is able to provide a complete package solution as well as a tailor-made service. Tailoring provision enables Harland and Wolff to get to know a customer and create a long-term relationship. It also means the company isbetter equipped to generate the required information exactly to match customers’ bespoke requirements with regards to internal procedures and manufacturing machinery, so that clients can’t tell the difference between internal and external design.
Most recently the organisation has landed a contract for the assembly and erection of a transformer platform for the offshore wind farm industry. David explains: “We have been commissioned by Weserwind GmbH to assemble and erect a jacket structure for an offshore transformer platform, as well as the installation of a floatable topside section. The platform’s substructure jacket weighs 3000 tonnes and is currently being worked on in our main building dock, the topside transformer weights 3500 tonnes and will be erected in the Main dock under our twin 840 tonne gantry 
cranes. Once complete the whole unit will be floated up and out of the dock to the Allgemeine Wirtschaftszone (AWZ) area in mid-September. Our reputation in the renewable energy sector continues to grow and winning contracts like this is down to the company’s ability to successfully diversify into markets that suit our facilities and skill.”
Billy McCraken, marine and offshore sales manager, highlights another of Harland and Wolff’s key projects: “From the ship repair point of view 60 per cent of the work we receive is from repeat customers who like what we do, recognise the facilities we have and enjoy the long-term relationship we offer. However we also conduct a number of one-off and specialised projects, as with our Blackford Dolphin contract. This involved the design, building and furnishing of two modules, a 130-man accommodation module and a Power Generation Module, that we designed, constructed and delivered entirely within ten months.
“These accommodation blocks were fully outfitted and installed on site, with the preparation taking place in our fabrication facility and the final commissioning onboard the unit. We had difficulties with some of the owner’s equipment being delivered to us late, but instead of slowing us down we designed and built a means of removable bulkheads and shipping ways so that later when the equipment arrived we had a swift and easy completion – a typical example of our flexibility.”
Despite the global economic situation, Harland and Wolff is experiencing its busiest year as a result of becoming recognised in the industry for honest pricing, tailor-made solutions and unparalleled facilities for design and manufacture. On the back of such predominant projects as the transformer platform, the company is looking to continued growth in the renewables sector, taking skills from the offshore oil and gas sector and applying them to this developing area. On the offshore repair side of operations, the organisation is hoping to be seen as a major player in the industry; there is only one other facility in Europe with the same dimensions and offerings of Harland and Wolff, and over the coming years sights are set on being number one.
Harland and Wolff
Services: Ship building, design and engineering