Welsh Secretary hosts major business delegation on board Royal Navy warship
Japanese technology giant Hitachi’s investment in Anglesey will be celebrated on board HMS St Albans at Holyhead today (Friday 12 April).
Secretary of State for Wales with representatives of Hitachi and the First Minister of Wales
The Secretary of State for Wales, David Jones will host a reception for local stakeholders and businesses on board Royal Navy Type 23 frigate HMS St Albans, a 133 metre, 4,900 tonne warship which will be docked alongside Holyhead port from 12 April until Monday 15 April.
Mr Jones will be invited on board by the ship’s Commanding Officer, Commander Andrew Block. He will undertake a private tour of the ship and be briefed on the ship’s capabilities, before welcoming his guests on board for the lunchtime reception and capability demonstration.
Having returned in December from a six-month deployment to the Gulf conducting Anti-Piracy patrols, HMS St Albans spent 2012 defending UK waters and honing her Submarine hunting skills in Atlantic waters. This month, she will enter a year-long period of maintenance in Portsmouth.
The event has been organised to mark Hitachi’s purchase of Horizon Nuclear Power which has the rights to build a reactor at Wylfa on Anglesey.
During his recent trade and investment mission to Asia on behalf of the Prime Minister, Mr Jones met with Hitachi President, Hiroaki Nakanishi and Deputy Chairman of Hitachi Europe, Masaharu Hanyu to hear how plans to build new nuclear plants in the UK are progressing.
Mr Hanyu will lead the Hitachi delegation back to Wales for the reception which will also be attended by representatives from Anglesey Energy Island, the Welsh Government, the Office for Nuclear Development, as well as local stakeholders looking to capitalise on the supply chain opportunities new nuclear on Anglesey will bring.
Secretary of State for Wales, David Jones said:
“Not only does this reception provide us with the opportunity to mark the very important investment Hitachi has made in North Wales, it also allows us to demonstrate the value we place in the Royal Navy, and the role this ship in particular plays in keeping our international waters safe.
“I’m delighted to show Mr. Hanyu and his Hitachi colleagues the significance of their investment in Horizon to our local and national economies.
“The opportunities new nuclear will present in Wales are vast. The programme represents a significant opportunity to create jobs, to work with colleges and universities to develop training programmes, and for Welsh businesses to capitalise on the supply chain opportunities Wylfa B will bring.”