A County Down company has completed a £1.5 million sale of 11 cranes to Harland and Wolff in Belfast.

Walter Watson Ltd, based in Castlewellan, manufactured and installed the cranes as part of the shipyard's £98.5 million modernisation programme under its new owner, Navantia UK.

The order included a semi-Goliath crane with a 20-metre span and 20-tonne lifting capacity, six electric overhead travelling cranes, and four jib cranes for use in and around the fabrication hall.

The cranes feature full radio control, anti-collision technology, digital weigh load indication and magnet-enabled preparation within each control panel.

Carlos Lopez Carregado, General Manager at Harland and Wolff, said the company aims to award contracts to local businesses wherever possible as it prepares to build three Fleet Solid Support ships for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.

He said the economic benefits of shipbuilding for the Ministry of Defence would flow into the community, and described Walter Watson as a world-class local supplier.

David Barr, Managing Director of Walter Watson, said the company was delighted to have been awarded the contract. He noted that the semi-Goliath crane was named after the iconic Samson and Goliath cranes which dominate the Belfast skyline.

All cranes were manufactured and tested at Walter Watson's Castlewellan facility and delivered using the company's own transport. An 80-tonne mobile crane from its plant fleet was used for erection.

South Down DUP MLA Diane Forsythe praised the success, saying the area has a thriving local industry.