Navantia UK has secured a second export contract for a new vessel at its Methil shipyard and has begun recruiting 60 skilled workers to support the next phase of activity at the Fife site.

The award follows an initial export order earlier this year and comes soon after the yard completed the Navantia UK Seahorse barge, which supports delivery of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary's Fleet Solid Support programme.

The vacancies include experienced welders and platers, as well as riggers, scaffolders and painters, to meet a growing pipeline of work built on recent deliveries, fresh export wins and continued investment.

Navantia UK has also confirmed an additional £12 million investment in Methil for enhanced training facilities, modern machinery, infrastructure upgrades and new technology, taking total spend at the yard to £26.7 million since acquiring the site in January 2025.

The facility is well placed to contribute to the floating docks programme for HM Naval Base Clyde, following the Chancellor's announcement earlier this month that the infrastructure will be built and delivered in UK shipyards.

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Since the acquisition, headcount at Methil has risen from 180 to 275. The latest hiring campaign will add more high-quality skilled jobs alongside an apprenticeship programme that now has 75 apprentices in training.

The recruitment push draws on decades of local expertise. Allan Lister, a plater who started at the yard in 1985, said: "I've worked all over Britain, and the guys you worked with here, nine times out of ten, were better than anybody else." Peter Ednie, who began as a burner in 1982, gives a sense of the work involved: "I've cut steel over 300 millimetres thick." That experience is now being passed on to a new generation. Welder Willie Gibson, who also joined in 1982, said: "We've got some really good apprentices."

Steve Chisholm, General Manager at Methil, said: "Winning another export contract shows the progress being made at Methil and the confidence customers are placing in the yard.

"With Seahorse completed, new work coming in and investment going into the site, we are now recruiting more skilled people to help build the yard's future workload."

Katherine Thorn, Head of Talent and Culture at Navantia UK, said: "These are good skilled jobs, with the opportunity to work on significant programmes, develop long-term careers and contribute to the future of shipbuilding in Fife.

"We are looking for experienced welders and platers who want to join a growing team at a yard with a proud industrial heritage and a stronger pipeline of work."

Rhea Wolfson, GMB Scotland secretary, said: "Under new ownership, this shipyard is going from strength to strength with new investment being reflected in orders and recruitment.

"The importance of these skilled jobs and quality apprenticeships to the communities of Fife and Scotland's industrial capability cannot be overstated."