Belfast-based Harland and Wolff (H&W) (www.harland-wolff.com) is currently hiring a range of staff to meet demand for new contracts.

The former ship-building giant is taking on between 10 and 20 workers, as it ramps up production to fulfil a Scottish Power Renewables contract for East Anglia One — a £2.5 billion offshore wind farm.

Jobs include tower crane operators, pipe fitters and fabricators, planners, structural engineers and welders, plus an accountant and surveyors.

The contract is to build 24 steel foundation jackets; standing at 65m tall and weighing more than 845 tonnes, these three-legged structures are almost as prominent on the Belfast skyline as the famous Samson and Goliath cranes.

Keith Anderson, chief executive of Scottish Power Renewables, said: “The facilities in Belfast are excellent for supporting offshore wind construction, as we experienced on our West of Duddon Sands project.

“We hope that the successful delivery of the East Anglia One contract will lead to even more opportunities in the offshore wind industry for Belfast.”

H&W recently said that it hopes to be in the running for work as part of the Government’s £1.25 billion plan to build five new frigates.

The company, which built the Titanic, employed 35,000 people at its peak — back in the 1920s — but now has a workforce of 115. It is primarily involved in maintenance and renewable-energy contracts.