The Ministry of Defence has confirmed that the Royal Navy’s long-planned additional fleet docking capability is now formally being delivered through Programme Euston, with the aim of providing new out-of-water engineering capacity at HM Naval Base Clyde in the early 2030s.
In a written parliamentary answer, Defence Minister Luke Pollard said Programme Euston is the Navy’s solution to the requirement for additional fleet time docking, a capability seen as increasingly critical to sustaining the UK’s submarine force.
“Programme Euston is the Royal Navy’s solution to Additional Fleet Time Docking Capability,” Pollard said. “The programme aims to deliver a resilient out of water engineering capability at HMNB Clyde by the early 2030s.”
He added that the next major milestone will be the submission of a Programme Business Case in mid-2026, after which timelines will continue to be reviewed through the Ministry of Defence’s major programmes portfolio. The department declined to provide more detailed delivery schedules, citing commercial and operational sensitivities. The latest response aligns with earlier parliamentary disclosures indicating that design work on new floating dry docks is already underway.
Last year, Defence Minister Lord Coaker confirmed that the Ministry of Defence intends to place a manufacturing contract once technical specifications have been finalised and a formal procurement process completed. At the time, he stated that a contract would follow “production of the technical specification and upon completion of a procurement process.” Programme Euston is intended to address long-standing constraints in the Royal Navy’s ability to take submarines out of the water for maintenance at Faslane, pressures that are expected to increase as the Astute class continues in service, the Vanguard boats remain operational, and the Dreadnought class enters the fleet.
Although the programme does not formally sit within the National Shipbuilding Strategy, the government has previously indicated that the UK industrial base is expected to be involved. Lord Coaker said in earlier answers that “the analogous shipbuilding sector is well placed to participate in an upcoming procurement for the floating docks,” and confirmed that the National Shipbuilding Office had been consulted ahead of the programme’s next investment decision point. No assessment has yet been published on the number of jobs the programme could support, with ministers previously stating that this will depend on the outcome of procurement decisions and build strategy.
Planned for the early thirties, so some time around 2040…
I find this unbelievable really.
This kind of thing can be contracted from people who make them for a day job and delivered.
I sense we are going to go down the job creation scheme route of trying to build in the UK with the learning curve. Whatever anyone says we don’t have enough welders so finding a bunch more makes so much sense – on what planet?
Might the nuclear aspect have a bearing on that? I don’t think anyone will be building submarine floating docks commercially.
So it might be difficult to find a foreign builder and given the shortage of dry docks having the ability to build floating docks ourselves might not be too silly.
Nuclear will add further complexity for sure as it will have to have additional fail safe modes and more duplications of power and control systems than would be normal.
Then there is the issue of supplying cooling to the reactor when the sub is out of the water. Which is not trivial as the cooling would likely have to function even if something terrible happens to the floating dock.
My suspicion is that MoD would be far better off ordering the floating dock from a Japanese or Korean yard and maybe fitting it out in the UK. Although that said the biggest problem we actually have in UK shipbuilding are the fitout trades….or lack of them…..
There are some pretty significant safety measures that would need to be built in..so it’s limited skillset design and build the US got general dynamics to build theirs.
At the risk of sounding flippant, if something terrible happens to the dock I imagine there won’t be a lack of water for the submarine…
The main question is, do we trust a foreign yard to build to the required standard and to maintain security for the design? As you say we have a lack of fitting out experience but a floating dock is much easier to fit out relative to the steelbashing so it seems an ideal way to build up a workforce at smaller yards.
Are they actually going to buy anything in this Parliament or are they kicking the can for the next government?
I only ask as how can it take so long?
Nope. Well yes, but not for the Military.
Truely pathetic. This Labour Government is all talk and no action on Defence. No Orders just projects and taking credit for Orders placed 5 or more years ago. Get thee hence Liebore.
Can someone give us a chart of what has been Ordered for the Navy since July 2024? Or indeed anything for any of the 3 services. This Dolittle will have a disastrous effect 10 years down the road. Shades of Tony Blair’s efforts who’s inaction is still hanging over us.
Yes, it is interesting all of the nothing going on and the credit hoovering for things like T26 and T31 which were really down Boris – much as we may like to diss him!