The Eastgate shipyard, once Harbourton's largest employer, is to create around 400 jobs after winning a contract to build steel foundations for an offshore wind farm.

The yard's owners, Eastgate Marine Engineering, confirmed on Monday that it will manufacture dozens of large foundation structures over the next three years. Recruitment for welders, fabricators, crane operators and apprentices will begin later this month.

It is the biggest single boost to manufacturing employment in the city for more than a decade, and a remarkable turnaround for a yard that came within weeks of closure four years ago.

A yard brought back from the brink

At its peak, Eastgate employed more than 3,000 people building ships for the merchant fleet. By the early 2020s, after years of declining orders, that number had fallen to under 150. In 2022, the yard's previous owners announced plans to close the site and sell the land for redevelopment.

A consortium of local investors, backed by a loan from the regional development agency, bought the yard months later with a plan to reposition it as a fabrication site for the offshore energy industry. Since then, it has survived on smaller contracts — repairs, maintenance and components for other yards — while bidding for larger work.

"There were plenty of people who told us we were mad," said Eastgate's managing director, Simon Hale, standing on the quayside beneath the yard's main crane. "This contract proves that a yard like ours, with the people we have in this city, can compete for the work that the energy transition is going to need."

"This contract proves that a yard like ours, with the people we have in this city, can compete." — Simon Hale, Eastgate Marine Engineering

What the work involves

Offshore wind turbines need foundations to anchor them to the seabed. The structures Eastgate will build are large steel frames, each standing several storeys high, which will be transported by sea to the wind farm site and installed on the seabed.

The yard will need significant investment to take on work at this scale. Eastgate says it will spend around £20 million upgrading its fabrication halls, installing new welding equipment and strengthening a section of the quay to handle heavier loads. Some of that investment is supported by a government programme intended to build up domestic supply chains for offshore wind.

The first structures are expected to leave the yard in the second half of next year.

The jobs

Of the roughly 400 roles, the company says around 250 will be skilled fabrication and welding positions, with the remainder in engineering, logistics, quality control and management. Around 40 places will be apprenticeships.

Eastgate says it intends to recruit locally wherever possible, and that former shipyard workers will be encouraged to apply. Many have since moved into other industries or retired, but some have already been in touch.

Among them is Mick Doyle, 58, who worked at Eastgate for 26 years before being made redundant in 2021. He now works in a warehouse on the edge of the city.

"I walked past the gates every day for four years and wondered if I'd ever be back in there," he said. "I've already put my name down. I'd go back tomorrow."

Training the next generation

One of the biggest challenges, according to the company, will be finding enough skilled welders. Harbourton College has agreed to double the number of places on its welding and fabrication courses from January and will run new evening courses for adults looking to retrain.

"There is a real shortage of these skills right across the country," said the college's principal. "If we get this right, young people in Harbourton will have a genuine route into well-paid, skilled work that will be in demand for decades."

Unions cautiously welcome the news

The main union representing workers at the yard welcomed the contract but said it wanted guarantees on pay, conditions and job security.

"After everything Eastgate has been through, this is fantastic news for the city," said the union's regional organiser. "But we want these to be good jobs — properly paid, with proper training and proper contracts — not short-term work that disappears when this order is finished."

Eastgate said it expected most roles to be permanent and that it was already bidding for further contracts to follow this one.

What it means for the city

The council's leader described the contract as "a turning point" for the eastern side of the city, where unemployment has remained stubbornly above the regional average since the yard's decline.

Economists caution that offshore wind supply chain work can be uneven, with periods of high demand followed by quieter spells between projects. But the scale of planned offshore wind development over the coming decade means yards able to deliver large structures reliably are likely to remain in demand.

For now, the mood at Eastgate is celebratory. On Monday afternoon, as the announcement was made, a small group of former workers gathered at the gates. Several of them hadn't been inside the yard for years.

"It's been quiet for a long time," said one, looking up at the crane. "It'll be good to hear it busy again."

Interested in working at Eastgate? Recruitment details will be published on the company's website later this month. We'll share them in The 7am Briefing.