AUKUS timeline in question after UK fire
A blaze at the UK’s sole nuclear submarine manufacturing facility is sparking concerns build timelines for the AUKUS submarines could be delayed.
Two staff members were treated for smoke inhalation after a fire broke out at the BAE Systems nuclear shipyard in Barrow-in-Furness early on Wednesday (local time), according to the weapons maker.
While local police said there was “no nuclear risk”, residents were told to bunker down and keep their windows and doors shut.
The BAE shipyard, the second-largest of its kind in Europe, is where the SSN-AUKUS is being designed.
It was also set to build the UK’s fleet of the new nuclear-powered vessels.
But with the extent of the damage to the mega-sized facility uncertain, the shipyard’s capability and possible flow-on effects are unknown, including the production timelines of Australia’s own SSN-AUKUS fleet in Adelaide.
Australia is set to build five of the nuclear-powered submarines.
BAE has limited personnel at its Barrow-in-Furness shipyard to essential workers only.
The Australian Submarine Agency said it was in touch with its counterparts.
“We are aware of a fire on site in Barrow-in-Furness and are in contact with our counterparts in the United Kingdom,” a spokesperson for the agency told NewsWire.
Under the current timeline, BAE would finish building Australia’s first SSN-AUKUS in the early 2040s.
NewsWire has contacted BAE Australia for comment.