Rolls-Royce Holdings has picked a UK government contractor as the preferred bidder for its maritime engine manufacturing arm after an earlier sale to a Russian group was vetoed by Norwegian politicians.
It is understood that Rolls-Royce is racing to finalise the sale of Bergen Engines to Langley Holdings Plc, a Nottinghamshire-based industrial conglomerate, ahead of the FTSE-100 engineering giant’s half-year results this week.
City sources said that Rolls-Royce was in advanced talks with Langley, a relatively low-profile business which nevertheless employs more than 4,000 people.