14 Dec 2021

Babcock marks completion of new Rosyth assembly hall

Today we have celebrated the completion of our new state-of-the-art assembly hall, The Venturer Building at our Rosyth site. Page Content

​Employees, local politician Douglas Chapman MP, industry representatives, local school children and trade unions gathered to witness the commemorative ‘topping out’ ceremony, which included a demonstration of the two 125 tonne gantry cranes, which will be used to assemble the frigates. Local school children added the final touches to the facility by helping to plant bulbs and shrubs around its perimeter. 

Measuring an impressive 147m x 62m x 42m, The Venturer Building will initially be used for the assembly of the Royal Navy’s Type 31 frigates, providing a facility that can support UK and international shipbuilding activity for decades to come. As the Type 31 programme continues, the fully covered hall will house two frigates for uninterrupted, parallel assembly and will support increased productivity gains through improved access to the platforms and digital connectivity.

We also announced our plans for a number of new roles which will be recruited shortly, as part of the 1250 strong direct workforce that will support the programme at its peak alongside a further 1250 roles in the wider supply chain.

Will Erith, Chief Executive of Babcock Marine said:

“We are delighted to mark St. Andrew’s Day by celebrating the completion of The Venturer Building which builds on our exceptional heritage in Scotland, delivering a very real step change in capacity and capability for modern UK shipbuilding.

“From the start of this programme we’ve been focussing on prosperity, supporting both the UK and local economies and so it is great we are also announcing 500 new roles on the same day who will directly support the Type 31 programme.”

“I would like to thank everyone involved in the construction of this fantastic building and especially our contractors Robertson Construction. This moment demonstrates further progress in the Type 31 programme and adds to the significant investment over the last decade at our facilities in Rosyth; bringing advancements and efficiencies into manufacturing, build and assembly processes.”

Did you know?

The construction of the Venturer building resulted in over 3,600t of demolition material, of which 99.71% was recycled.