Naval Architect of Cunard's 'QM2' Says New UK Flagship Should Be Built in Belfast

3rd May 2021

Belfast Harbour where the Harland & Wolff shipyard ‘would be very capable of building a prestigious ship of this scale’. Above the Cunard flagship Queen Mary 2 (QM2) berthed at its homeport of Southampton, has called to several Irish ports. AFLOAT adds the giant luxury cruiseship/liner was in 2003 built by the French shipyard, Chantiers de l'Atlantique in Nantes. Credit: Associated British Ports -twitter

The naval architect who designed Cunard’s flagship cruiseship / ocean liner Queen Mary 2, has backed Belfast’s Harland & Wolff shipyard to build a new UK flagship vessel aimed at promoting Britain around the world.

Stephen Payne, a past President of the Royal Institution of Naval Architects (RINA) - has a proposal for a ship considerably bigger than the former royal yacht Britannia, decommissioned in 1997 after 43 years in service.

“My vision is for a British promotion ship encompassing exhibition, conference, trade, youth, cultural and tourism — which if built in Belfast, would showcase shipbuilding and capabilities in Northern Ireland,” he said.

“Harland and Wolff are very capable of building a prestige ship of this scale.

“Infrastrata (the yard’s owners) come across as very dynamic.

“Something like this would be a tremendous opportunity for them.

“It is a comprehensive British promotion platform encompassing everything Britannia did and much more besides,” he said.

Further reading from the Belfast Telegraph here.

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Jehan Ashmore

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Jehan Ashmore is a marine correspondent, researcher and photographer, specialising in Irish ports, shipping and the ferry sector serving the UK and directly to mainland Europe. Jehan also occasionally writes a column, 'Maritime' Dalkey for the (Dalkey Community Council Newsletter) in addition to contributing to UK marine periodicals.

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