BAE Systems Barrow Incident

Wednesday 30th October 2024 Written Statements

[The Minister for Defence Procurement and Industry (Maria Eagle)]

On 30 October 2024, there was a fire in a submarine construction facility, the Devonshire Dock Hall (DDH) at the submarine build yard run by BAE Systems in Barrow-in-Furness.

The fire started shortly after midnight on Wednesday morning. BAE Systems implemented its emergency response plan, which moved fully to the recovery phase at 1 pm the same day. I can confirm that at no point was there any nuclear risk from this fire.

Seven BAE Systems personnel were taken to hospital following the initial fire as a precautionary measure and all have now been released.

Once the area has been made safe a formal fire investigation will take place to establish the root cause of the fire and the extent of the damage. Until this occurs it is too soon to give a precise assessment of what, if any, impact there will be on any BAE Systems capabilities or submarine build projects. Ministers continue to engage closely with BAE Systems.

Barrow is the historic home of submarine building in the UK and this Government are committed to delivering the plan for Barrow, creating economic opportunity and delivering the nuclear deterrent as part of our national endeavour.

I would like to make a special mention of the emergency services, including those of BAE Systems and Cumbria, whose professionalism and highly effective response safe- guarded the local population and helped put this fire out.

[HCWS176]