A strategic infrastructure development company has acquired the Harland & Wolff shipyardin Belfast in Northern Ireland after it had fallen into administration a few weeks earlier.

InfraStrata plc, the listed company that acquired the old established yard, said it would boost its workforce from 79 at the time of its collapse to several hundred over the next few years as it would bring manufacturing part of its infrastructure project business in-house. The company is working on a gas storage facility project at the moment.

Last year, major refurbishment of former P&O Cruises’ Adonia that had been acquired by Azamara Cruises took place at Harland & Wolff. However, the MJM Group was in charge of the project.

Harland & Wolff is part of a consortium led by Babcock plc, the UK based defence equipment group, which was chosen as preferred bidder by the UK Ministry of Defence to build five 5,700 Arrowhead 140 frigates for the Royal Navy. The contract is worth £1.25 billion.

InfraStrata said it would appoint a new management team for Harland & Wolff later this year. It did not say whether cruise ship and naval vessel work would be carried out at the yard in the future.