SWAN Hunter’s last remaining shipyard will be mothballed with the loss of more than 300 jobs, all but marking the end of naval shipbuilding in the North-East, it emerged last night.
Swans has been given no alternative but to close its yard in Wallsend, North Tyneside, after the Ministry of Defence (MoD) yesterday announced it had ended its contract with the company because of spiralling costs.
After months of speculation, the second Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessel, the Lyme Bay, will leave Swans.
continued… The remaining work on the ship will be carried out by BAE systems, in Govan, Scotland.