Kvaerner has been trying to sell the plant

Kvaerner announced last year that it was pulling out of shipbuilding because of spiralling costs.

Chief executive Kjell Almskog said the company was offloading operations in Clydebank and Govan with others in Norway, Germany and Finland.

He blamed the move on excessive shipbuilding capacity in Europe and the falling value of the Korean currency which made Asian shipbuilding more competitive.

Immediately after the announcement, the UK Government formed a taskforce to try and find a buyer for the Govan yard.

Earlier this year, the 200 manual workers voiced their opposition to any sale by holding a work-in.

Tensions eased when Newco, a consortium of former managers, looked to have clinched a buy-out deal.

'Sad day'

However, the deal collapsed in November after the consortium failed to meet the conditions of the sale set by Kvaerner.

The news was greeted by disbelief from Jim Moohan, engineering spokesman for the GMB union in Scotland

He said: "It is a very sad day for manufacturing on the Clyde that this historic industrial concern is to be no more."