Published Date:
22 January 2009
THE Royal Navy's two new aircraft carriers are likely to enter service a year or two later than planned which is a bitter blow for Barrow.
The Defence Secretary John Hutton said that there would be no delay in construction - but work would continue at a slower pace, sustaining jobs for longer.
The £4bn shipbuilding project is due to begin this spring.
The announcement affects shipyards in Appledore, in north Devon, Portsmouth, Barrow-in-Furness, Glasgow and Rosyth.
Mr Hutton said: "We have concluded that there is scope for bringing more closely into line the introduction of the Joint Combat Aircraft and the aircraft carrier. This is likely to mean delaying the in-service date of the new carriers by one to two years.
"We are in close consultation with the Aircraft Carrier Alliance on how this might best be done. Construction is already under way and will continue.
"The programme will still provide stability for the core shipyard workforce, including 10,000 UK jobs."
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Last Updated:
22 January 2009 2:27 PM
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Source:
n/a
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Location:
Lakeland
