Create a free starter account, or log in.

Get access to four free articles per month, as well as our Decisive Edge Newsletters and Daily News Bulletin.

Email Address

Password

Forgot your password? Reset by clicking here

Create a Password

[[ req.met ? '✓' : '•' ]] [[ req.text ]]

Re-enter Password

Passwords do not match

First Name

Last Name

Country

Confirm your account

Please enter the four-digit pin below that has been emailed to you.

Didn't receive the pin yet?

This pin expires in 20 minutes.

[[ error ]]

By creating an account, you agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Stay informed with Shephard's award-winning journalism. Unlock unlimited access and in-depth analysis with a corporate or individual subscription.

Explore your options here

BAE Systems’ nuclear shipyard suffers “significant fire”

31st October 2024 - 09:08 GMT | by Shephard News Team

RSS

The Royal Navy Astute Class submarine. The last of the class is still being built at Barrow. (Picture: Royal Navy/MoD/Crown copyright)

The shipyard in Barrow-in-Furness in the UK is where both Dreadnought and Astute-class nuclear submarines are being built.

BAE Systems’ nuclear shipyard in Barrow-in-Furness has suffered what emergency services called “a significant fire”.

At around 00:44 GMT on 30 October, firefighters and ambulances were called to the shipyard. Two people were taken to hospital with smoke inhalation and later released. No other injuries have been reported.

There was also “no nuclear risk”, according to Cumbria Police. An investigation into the cause of the fire began almost immediately.

Seventh Astute class submarine build underway

The shipyard’s Devonshire Dock Hall, its main building facility, was evacuated overnight. BAE Systems advised “non-essential staff” to work from home in the immediate aftermath of the blaze.

Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service said that it had taken “15 appliances” to extinguish the fire, indicating a significant burn.

The Barrow-in-Furness shipyard covers around six acres which makes it the second-largest indoor shipbuilding complex of its kind in Europe. The four Vanguard-class submarines that have formed the UK’s Trident nuclear deterrent since the 1990s were built at the yard.

Currently, the site has been building four new nuclear submarines in the Dreadnought class (set to replace the Vanguard submarines in the early 2030s at an initial cost of US$42 billion). The yard has also been building the last of the Royal Navy’s seven new nuclear-powered submarines in the Astute class. Pre-existing delays before the fire had pushed back the launch date of this final boat in the Astute class to 2026. Whether the fire will further stretch that deadline, and in fact whether the fire will have any notable impact on the completion timelines for the yard’s current builds, remains to be seen.

While the investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing, all but “non-essential” staff have been instructed to return to work.

Dreadnought Class (Successor Programme) (1-4) [UK]

Astute Class (1-7) [UK]

Astute Class