The Ministry of Defence has provided an update on the plans for two new floating docks to maintain submarines at Faslane in Scotland.
The confirmation came in the form of a response to a Written Parliamentary Question.
John Healey MP, Labour Defence Spokesman, asked:
“To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when his Department plans to tender for two new submarine floating docks.”
James Cartlidge MP, Minister of State (Ministry of Defence), responded:
“An early market engagement notice was published on 7 November 2023 for Programme EUSTON. This engagement will inform the delivery strategy required to procure the planned out of water engineering maintenance facility at His Majesty’s Naval Base Clyde. Following completion of the market engagement exercise this year, the Ministry of Defence intends to initiate a procurement programme for this additional capability.
Programme EUSTON is currently in its concept phase and no date has yet been set for the tender process.”
Recently, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced plans to procure two new floating docks along with associated infrastructure for Faslane, the primary hub for the UK’s nuclear deterrent and the home of the Vanguard-class ballistic missile submarines.
The early engagement notice, released on 7 November, marks the beginning of a procurement process that has evolved from a thorough market engagement with various industry stakeholders.
The AFTDC Programme, as outlined in the MoD’s Prior Information Notice (PIN) published on 7 November 2023, details a strategic initiative to enhance the docking capabilities at HM Naval Base Clyde. The purpose of the notice is to invite industry participation in market engagement events, as part of the AFTDC Joint Project Team’s (JPT) efforts to procure two floating docks and associated infrastructure.
“The United Kingdom Ministry of Defence (‘the Authority’) has initiated the Additional Fleet Time Docking Capability (AFTDC) Programme to procure two floating docks and associated infrastructure to be located at HM Naval Base Clyde. As the single integrated operating base for UK Royal Navy Submarines, HM Naval Base Clyde is the home of fleet time docking capability to support submarine availability. Following completion of a period of market engagement with industry, the Authority intends to formally commence a procurement for AFTDC.”
John Healey, the Shadow Secretary of State for Defence, queried about the Ministry’s plans in relation to the National Audit Office (NAO) report titled “The Equipment Plan 2022 to 2032,” asking:
“To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the report published by the NAO entitled The Equipment Plan 2022 to 2032, HC 907, published 29 November 2022, whether his Department plans to procure a submarine floating dock.”
In response, James Cartlidge, the Minister of State for the Ministry of Defence, highlighted the department’s proactive approach in assessing its needs, stating:
“The Ministry of Defence has conducted an assessment on its docking needs. This assessment has identified that two floating docks are required to enhance the out of water maintenance capability and meet future demand for submarine maintenance at His Majesty’s Naval Base Clyde.”
He further added:
“Market engagement has recently commenced to better understand the delivery strategy required to procure floating docks and the associated infrastructure necessary to create an additional out of water maintenance capability.”
They’ll have to rob a bloody bank to get the funding. 😎
So in effect work will start in 5 years and be completed in 10.
Being optimistic.
Another one pushed down the road.
Or…. Sold up the River !…. we seem to be in S&%* Creek without a paddle either way…..
👍😉
So the floating docks are only for accommodate subs?
Floating docks are repair facilities Coll, not for housing ships. They usually are able to repair any ship that fits in them.
Does it not strike everyone as strange, this backlog of maintenance and not enough docks considering the Navy is as small as it’s ever been (in living memory) .
Not really it isn’t down to the numbers but the size and sophistication of the new ships. There are dozens of old dry docks dotted around the UK but most are 2 small, don’t have a sump to an accommodate a hull or bow mounted sonar or modern / secure facilities. Like most things this is down to lack of investment over decades and the situation is getting worse.
Take the Frigate Refit Facility at Devonport, it was built for Leanders and can accommodate a T23, but not a T45, T 26 nor T31.
There is a large modernisation programme going on down at Devonport for Refuelling and decommissioning plus 10 Dock and work on the Portsmouth locks.
I actually find going for 2 Floating docks a bit odd as the Synchro lift is still functioning. I wonder if it may end up down in Australia to help service the RN/USN boats that will forward deploy later this decade.
It is down to a lot of can kicking IRL.
The can kicking has lead to unbelievable budget pressures as ships like T23 and Fort Vic start to fall apart and suck ever more cash.
Can kicking is an expensive pastime. Thnx Geo Osbourne and friends for another fine mess.
Hi SB I’ve been doing a bit of digging as I was scratching my head as to why we need 2.
The conclusion I came to is that with upgrades and expansion of docks at Devonport and Clyde we don’t really either to support 4 SSBN and 7 SSN we have at present.
I decided to read up on the US 2014 NDAA which Congress passed last month as it includes the authorisation and detail for AUKUS. Presently it is awaiting JB to sign it, which I think is the delay.
We will not commit ££££ till it is all signed off (which makes sense).
RAN are getting 2 old Virginias and 1 new build to tide them over till the 12 AUKUS boats are built.
Buried away in there is very interesting detail part of the ramp up is for Australian and British maintainers to be taught how to serve US SSN’s.
Also due to NNPT and Australian law the Aussies can’t carry out any work inside the reactor.
So we will need the capacity to service 4 SSBN, 8(10) RN SSN and 12 RAN SSN.
Those new facilities have to at a Nuclear Licensed Site. Devonport is now pretty full and trying to build another Syncro lift or conventional Drydock at Faslane or Devonport would very, very expensive.
There has to be someone who thinks about spend a fortune on a fixed asset that may end up in a Foreign country and not available,
So we will need to order the 2 Floating docks back end of this decade.
Oh and one other fun fact is that once the Act is passed U.K and Australia can apply for US grants towards those new facilities.
That may sound odd but if RAN and U.K engineers are trained to maintain US equipment we could end up helping the US to deal with their backlog.
That is a very interesting post and a good bit of digging.
There is plenty of land round Plymouth that could be used for dry docking….?
Thank you when something rattles me I usually go follow the Money. Full fixed Dry docks are fine but they are far more expensive than a floating dock and less flexible. You can Tow them just about anywhere.
Which as Australia needs to be able to do the Non Nuclear out of the water maintainence would be handy.
As an aside and nothing to with AUKUS I would take Inchgreen back into public ownership. That dock was built at our expense and the spec was for it to able to dock a USN CVN. Left to rot or have designer dock front houses.
Apparently the lift is starting to show its age and have issues. But another factor is that these floating docks probably wont be covered, and probably wont do the same degree of maintence as the drydocks or lift.
Well it isn’t hard put a roof on a Drydock for a Submarine the US actually have some with sliding roof panels. Most tasks can be carried out in Floating Dock just as well as in a lift.
But if you are opening up the reactor compartment you need complete stability and under cove. Which is why the Tasks are split between Clyde on the lift and Devonport in the Refuelling Dock.
Its the one overall weakness in AUKUS lack of suitable maintainence facilities. The mighty US has 30% of its boats either awaiting for or undergoing maintainence or repairs.
Australia has to start from scratch which is why they are busily sending Engineers to the US and U.K to get trained.
I wonder who they will give this contract too, are there any companies in the UK with experience of building floating docks big enough . Probably end up behind schedule and over budget like the rest of the navy projects.
Daft as it sounds but yes there are companies and facilities that could do this work. A floating dock and an oil rig have a lot in common when it comes to size, durability, floatation, ballasting, valves, pumps etc.
However a Floating dock isn’t a Warship so it could go abroad due to costs.
Agree about sending them overseas , at least they would be built on time and within budget , foreign yards just seem to get things done better than us now .
‘Project Euston’ I assuming someone is ‘aving a laff’ or are they bond to the fact that HS2 is currently struggling to actually get a date as to when or even if it ever gets to a Euston.
I read once that program and operation code names are randomly chosen by a computer in the DCMC.
Unsure how true that is but that’s what I read.
Computer run by Fujitsu?
Ooh that’s rather below the belt they’ve said SOLLY IMean Sorry
If the tender is anything like the building of those Scottish Ferries give the completion date around errr decade tòo be announced in time
Should be renamed from Euston to Nova
As in No va
Bit like the Euston HS2 link.
Is it really a good idea to give more vital military infrastructure to Scotland when a future Labour government and SNP government could lead to a new referendum and it doesnt go the Unionists way? Then the rest of us will be far too dependent on quite a hostile anti uk government for our national security and defence.
M8 one of fun facts about Floating Docks is that you just hitch up some Tugs and bye bye. RN were the first to tow a large Floating Dock long distance in 1869 they used 4 Battleships to do the Tow to Bermuda.
This wouldn’t be a ridiculous cost if purchased form the far east, probably around $50 million for two docks.