Northland ship project on schedule

A skills shortage in Northland is unlikely to delay the start of a multimillion-dollar shipbuilding project in March.

Australian company Tenix Defence won the Government's $500 million Project Protector tender to build seven naval vessels, with much of the work to be done at its Whangarei shipyard.

Tenix's Australian manager of public affairs, Liam Bathgate, said the company expected few problems getting the necessary staff.