The iconic yellow Samson and Goliath cranes, which remain among Belfast’s most famous landmarks, are to be refurbished by Harland & Wolff shipyard’s Spanish owners.
Navantia UK says it is investing £3.1 million to revamp the giant gantry cranes, which are each capable of lifting 840 tonnes (roughly equivalent to four jumbo jets).
The move is to ensure Belfast is ready for a significant upturn in shipbuilding activity, with the yard set to be at its busiest for years.
The engines of the two cranes will be overhauled and their catenary cables, which supply them with power, will be replaced.
Engineers will also make structural and electrical repairs to them both.
Work has already begun on Goliath, the older and smaller of the two cranes, which built in 1969 and stands at 315 feet (or 96 metres).
Once complete, work will transfer to Samson, which is the crane closer to the sea and which was installed in 1974 at a height of 348 feet (106 metres).
Carlos Lopez Carregado, general manager at Harland & Wolff, described Samson and Goliath as “symbols of Belfast”.
He said: “We know the city is proud of them, and this major mechanical, electrical, hydraulic and fabric maintenance project will restore them to their absolute best.
“We will be replacing parts, updating technology and testing them to see that they can lift at full capacity, and we will be treating them with utmost respect.
“The cranes are sophisticated pieces of machinery capable of carrying enormous weight.”
He added: “They will need all of their strength to lift blocks for the fleet solid support vessels, and for future ships which we anticipate building in Belfast.”
Work on the cranes is part of a £98.5m recapitalisation of H&W Belfast, which will prepare the yard for naval and commercial shipbuilding projects.
It has already begun a programme to build three Fleet Solid Support ships for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, which will provide vital supplies to naval ships at sea, and will be the second largest vessels in the armed forces behind the Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers.
The shipyard also has a commercial export contract under way to build a large vessel.
And Navantia UK says it is ready to take on additional work funded under the UK government’s £298 billion Defence Investment Plan, published in June.
Navantia UK’s recapitalisation of the Belfast shipyard has included an expansion to the fabrication hall, fitting a new panel line and installing plasma cutting equipment. The shipyard employs 450 people, with the workforce expected to rise to 1,500 by 2030.
