Team Resolute, comprising of BMT, Harland & Wolff, and Navantia UK, has been awarded a contract to deliver three Fleet Solid Support ships for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.
The project is expected to create 1,200 new jobs in UK shipyards, as well as hundreds of graduate and apprentice opportunities and an additional 800 jobs across the UK supply chain.
The bow & mid sections of each ship will be built in Belfast in Northern Ireland and Appledore in England, with smaller components produced at Methil & Arnish in Scotland. In addition, stern sections will be built in Cadiz, Spain.
The team plans to invest approximately £100 million into UK shipyards, including £77 million for infrastructure development at Harland & Wolff’s Belfast and Appledore shipyards, and a further £21 million in skills and technology transfer from Navantia UK.
This investment is hoped to help establish one of the most advanced shipyards in the UK, positioning it well for future export and domestic shipbuilding opportunities.
Harland & Wolff’s Belfast site alone is expected to create around 900 jobs, making this contract a welcome boost for Northern Ireland, as it brings naval shipbuilding back to Belfast.
The Prime Minister visited Harland & Wolff last month to celebrate the announcement that Team Resolute had won the competition for the future support ships in November.
Some sections of the ship will be built in Spain
The majority of the blocks and modules for the ships will be constructed at Harland & Wolff’s facilities in Belfast and Appledore, following the entirely British-crafted design by the Bath-based company BMT.
Build work will also take place at Navantia’s shipyard in Cadiz in Spain, with the final assembly for all three 216-metre-long vessels – each the length of two Premier League football pitches – to be completed at Harland & Wolff’s Belfast yard.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said:
“This contract is a significant boost to the UK’s historic shipbuilding industry, balancing shipbuilding across the Union. reating jobs and prosperity, Team Resolute is bringing shipbuilding back to Belfast, developing a modern, resilient and thriving shipbuilding industry that will support naval and commercial shipbuilding into the future.”
Production will start in 2025, with recapitalisation and yard improvements starting immediately. All three support ships are expected to be operational by 2032.
The Belfast Telegraph is reporting this news as a ‘pinch me moment’ for NI industrial regeneration; and so it is. Modest changes to the NI protocol and to the upcoming Coronation Oath would take the wind out of Sinn Fein’s sails and secure NI’s place in the Union.
Not hard is it one lane for NI goods one for ROI anybody flouting them massive fines and license’s withdrawn!
Good news for H&W👍
It really should be that simple shouldn’t it, especially with modern technology to track the origin of goods and services. Internal customs check points are not unusual in the world. I remember driving North through New Mexico in the USA and about 100 miles North of the Mexican border you have to pull in and quickly show your passport at a US border guards check point (if you’re not a US citizen or carrying goods brought in from Mexico, otherwise you just drive straight through. -They take a quick automated image of your vehicle licence plate to check against records… Read more »
Exactly Gareth and how about Canada-USA and many other examples. The NI border fuss is based partly in the reality of the situation but also largely in the EU’s desire to punish the UK for leaving
Checks only work if you implement them, which the UK government still hasn’t done on goods coming from the EU two years after the transition period ended.
It’s just the EU sour grapes brigade causing trouble again. They hate that we left their little corrupt quango. I would still support a hard border between NI and the southern bunch complete with electrified fencing and mines. As for the Sinn IRA Fenians, drive them to the border with hounds and push them through a one-way cattle gate. Biden would be pleased, not! But seriously, tracking the movement of goods internationally, is not a problem these days. A few random checks each day looking for contraband and jobs a good’un. We could employ former Gurkhas as armed paramilitary border… Read more »
Good that’s what happens when your not with England Ireland are doing a lot better they are now classed as one of the richest countries in the world Scotland need to do the same if they want any chance of being a better and richer country England just take take take and don’t give back they no he would be screwed without Scotland by their side that’s why they don’t want to let them go
They certainly would not be building such ships for the Irish Navy.
You mean Glorified Irish Coast Guard?
Wonderful news Paul! My grandfather saw the Titanic launched in Belfast. H&W will probably not see a return to the former glory days but in this changed world it is still a wonderful boost for NI!
I went to school briefly as a ”wee boy” in Whiteabbey Co. Antrim
Cheers from a boiling hot Durban
Yes, great news! Did you put your school books in a ‘wee beg’?
Indeed’n ah did and had the paan for wer brakfis with lots of Tatie bread 😂
Wait a sec….furiously thumbing through my American English to whatever the hell this is dictionary…brakfas = breakfast, Tatie = ? 🤔😳😉
😂 Not real words but my attempt to imitate the Belfast accent phonetically. Brakfis=breakfast,paan is the frying pan, and Tatie bread is Potato bread, the finest undiscovered delicacy on the planet. Some of my family in NI in those days pronounced my name “Jaffrey” and when I was naughty my Aunt referred to me when relating my sins to others as “It” 😆 PS My American Uncle who was with the American Red Cross was ‘seconded’ to the USAAF and was at one stage,based at Kings Lynn in Norfolk-1950’s. I got to taste fresh orange juice and Bubble Gum for… Read more »
Presumably the moniker pre-dated the usage of the appellation ‘Cousin It’ in Addams Family movies (probably distributed at some point in the UK)? 😁
If you received the Bubble Gum in packages that included baseball trading cards, and saved them in mint condition, your retirement plan would be assured!
Haha. I wonder if the Woke generation would accept the title ‘It ‘ to describe a gender fluid human?😂 As for the baseball cards what about back copies of Superman and Beano!? While I have your attention and on matters Defence, I had always thought my Yankee Uncle was a member of the USAAF as he wore a uniform that looked, to my eyes, to be an Airforce outfit. I only found out years later that he was a full time employee of the America Red Cross and wondered about the link with the then USAAF ? They had a… Read more »
Superman comics are collectible, and depending upon condition, more or less valuable. There are sites which should provide a range of estimates for specific issues. Sorry, not familiar w/ Beano, but presume same procedure would apply.
ps I wasn’t sure when the USAAF became the USAF and now see it was in 1947 but from my precocious memory the title USAAF lingered for some years after the war in articles and conversation so to correct myself, it was USAF by the time I visited Uncle Carl and Auntie May(I was born 1949)
Correct, USAF established in 1947.
American Red Cross continues to provide multiple and valuable services for all branches of US military, but remains an independent, distinct organization. Believe that due to affiliation w/ International Red Cross, American Red Cross must observe all relevant provisions of the Geneva Convention regarding delivery of aid and comfort during armed conflict. American Red Cross also provides aid and comfort to civil society during natural disasters. An excellent organization which commands widespread support from society. 😊
The only people jeopardising NI’s place in the union are the Tory’s and the ulster unionists. Sinn Fein won by talking about hospitals and schools. It’s amazing how many “unionists” are prepared to shit all over the union when it suits them. Bojo and moggy being top on that list. The majority of people in NI and Scotland still support the union which is amazing when you consider the absolute shower of old Etonian shit and closet communists English politics has produced in the past 10 years. Shows how strong the UK is. Thank god for devolution. Honestly people in… Read more »
Very true!
Well said Jim
Congratulations are due to the winning consortium; undoubtedly a positive step for all concerned parties, including, of course, the MoD. 👍
This order signals the symbolic rebirth the Harland and Wolf. It’s of pivotal political significance in my view.
What changes should be made to the Oath? Will they be made?
I suspect no changes will be made. If Labour win the next election we will see an elected upper chamber. The laws pertaining to the Church of England will change. The current Oath might be able to accommodate such changes. “Archbishop. Will you to the utmost of your power maintain the Laws of God and the true profession of the Gospel? Will you to the utmost of your power maintain in the United Kingdom the Protestant Reformed Religion established by law? Will you maintain and preserve inviolably the settlement of the Church of England, and the doctrine, worship, discipline, and… Read more »
If it were down to King Charles(God Bless him) he would include Buddhists, Moslems, Hindus, Roman Catholics, Trees etc etc.. I think your halfway suggestions are good ones. I suspect that many Britons(even old Colonials like myself) retain a broad personality embodying the Christian doctrine even if they are no longer practicing Christians
After 2000 years Christianity has been deeply infused into our culture such that it is taken for granted. Language is power. For example, if I said to you ‘the meek will inherit the earth’ you might say what a load of nonsense. But if I said ‘ you have to know when to hold them and when to fold them’ you are likely to say, that’s a good skill to develop. Similarly when we trip up in any way we teach ‘ pick yourself up, dust yourself down and start all over again’; or ‘no pain, no gain’ or some… Read more »
For me the key observation is that most religious and quasi religious organisations arrive at roughly the same conclusions as to how humanity should order its brief stay on the planet. “Good’ people intuitively know how to conduct themselves and their relationship with others to allow society to work and maximise the common good. On the other hand” Bad/Evil” people base their lives on maximising their own selfish agendas and to hell (ironically)with everyone else. So the religiose concepts of Heaven and Hell, Angels and Devils etc. have a basis in reality reflected in all our myths and legends. On… Read more »
Morning Geoff, I can see you are a Manichean.
For myself I’m still trying to come to terms with being bad some of the time and occasionally good 😂
Completely agree on Belfast and NI. Watched. TV documentary on the history of the building of Titanic last evening: fantastic achievement in a world with no CAD design software 👏
So we’re getting all 3. Happy days. Apart from ‘story’ about Type 32 it’s been a cracking couple of months for RN. Long may it continue.
Agreed. Good news all round and very pleased for Appledore. North Devon is lovely but something of an employment black spot. I think we’ll get the 32’s or perhaps eight or ten 31’s.
Why they labelled the type 32s as such, would have been politically much more savvy to have just called them batch 2 of the type 31s. Perhaps then treasury wouldn’t be so damn short sighted to see these vessels are urgently required and a follow-on to an already proven design. The recent purchase of the MV Island Crown “walk to work boat” is a good start to the vision of an all mine counter warfare being undertaken by unmanned autonomous systems- so in theory we might be able to purchase in reasonably large numbers cheap commercial hulls to act as… Read more »
Agree with all that. It would have made a lot more sense to have just gone with an announcement of a T31 batch 2 if the job is to up the number of escort hulls and stabilise them in the mid 20s by the mid 2030s. Probably should have secured the order for a batch two, securing hull numbers and the two complex warship production lines into the mid to late 2030s. Then got the design for the T83 ready to take on in one of the yards which would keep it in beans till early 2050s then got the… Read more »
Spot on. I think we all remember when T32 was announced by Johnson it was unexpected and many in the press questioned if it were even an error by our blustrous PM back then. So it’s a little amusing that an unexpected bonus is now seen as a terrible set back if cancelled. In reality yes it should not have been announced as it was purely to make Boris look good, forward looking and dynamic rather like the British Volt announcement back then too by Boris that has of course fallen off a cliff. All for positivity and vision (it’s… Read more »
Argus, Dilligence, it has been done before.
I agree with such purchases, as I always want a balance of quantity/OTS/ commercial purchases vs quality/gold plating/home built at vast expense, depending on the requirement and role.
These are not warships though, so such purchases can only go so far.
Fingers crossed you’re right. I don’t care what they call them. 31 or 32. But another 5 Frigates would be just what the doctor ordered.
I agree- lots of good news, albeit delayed and now urgently/ massively needed asap. If only things could be done in time and when required rather than when there is absolutely no choice and we have to get this urgent work done.
Whitehall is full of pontification and indecision
Yeah too many chiefs. Whenever a new project comes around everyone and their dog has an opinion of what it should be able to do. At least the Navy and RAF seem to have an idea where they want to get too. The Army needs the same and maybe they know that but they’ve got 20 years of damage to undo.
Good news, and a great opportunity for Northern Ireland! Hopefully this can be built upon- it’s widely recognised that a scarcity mentality and deprivation can fuel sectarian conflict, bringing jobs and improved opportunities can help reduce this.
Noted, the stern sections (presumably with most of the high value equipment in the superstructure) are being manufactured in Spain. But, frankly, that’s probably a good thing for H&W’s first foray back into shipbuilding for some time.
Good news for UK shipbuilding. I hope the orders for H&W Appledore will continue with no more boom and bust.
You’d have thought they would be in the running for MRSS, plus replacements for the Wave class, if indeed we get those.
All seems very tight for MRSS though given the expected OSDs of Albion and Bulwark are 2033 and 2034. If FSS goes on to 2032, then can they realistically bid for MRSS, or will those OSDs be pushed back.
Production starting in 2025, so after the next GE.
Apart from that, yes, great news.
The RNs FRS have dropped from four in 2010 to one now. Anyone know the outs of service date for Victoria and when the 1st will be operational?
They need to sign the contract in blood right now then don’t they?- rather like Gordon Brown did with the carriers- preventing the damn Tory government from trying to scrap them when the credit crises hit.
They’re getting all these big announcements out for the LABOUR government to either cancel or confirm I suspect…
A bit like the hand grenade that G Brown primed in 2010 putting up the top rate of tax just before he left office. So when the Tories bring it down to the level it was before under Labour, lets all shout bloody Tories supporting the rich.
Politics politics.
We are in desperate need of cross party agreement on defence. Won’t happen though. Most politicians are only in it for themselves.
Agreed. I’m sick to death with most of them.
LOL – the one thing Mainwaring is good at, is politics. But don’t forget that his party – starting with the malign 2010 SDSR – has absolutely eviscerated the British armed forces. Just in time for the start of WW3 we have a smaller army than Wellington had against the French
“starting with the malign 2010 SDSR”
Incorrect, started in 95 with Front Line First, Labour then continued it with the 97 SDSR, the 2004 “New Chapter” and for several years after without a SDSR, and then the Tories t added to the fun 2010 and ongoing.
As I’ve been banging on about for months, we need to stop the cock-ups. That gives us more bang for the buck.
There’s too much management interfering with the specs, playing office politics – and not enough kit
No OSD published. 2028 is the projected time for the first in class to be in service, with all 3 by 2032.
Ah, 28. Thanks Rob.
Brilliant news for British shipbuilding. HW also has facilities in England, which will result in significant employment across the board. Including the Spanish makes good sense as we need their advanced know-how to produce these vessels. We need more such news in 2023.
So to summarise in build/ ordered and confirmed are: 8 x type 26 frigates 5 type 31s These 3 fleet forward replenishment ships Conversion of Topaz Tangaroa into an offshore infrastructure defence and surveillance vessel and conversion of MV Island Crown to an autonomous anti mine warfare mothership. All great news and long overdue. Icing on the cake would be orders for drones and USSVs to equip Island Crown and RFA Proteus and follow-on orders for more UK built similar vessels. If we can get this done I wouldn’t be worried about the proposed removal of the entire mine counter… Read more »
A great video demonstrating the utility of the “walk to work” hull forms used extensively in the offshore industries. Note ease of deployment of light boats/ scratch and replace with USV/ ASSVs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpRvqhmNWIE
A tie-up with the Japanese on Type 83 could have significant advantages for the RN. Manitainace and support could be conducted in Japan and the commonality of design could help to reduce costs. By permanently stationing some of these vessels close to Japan the RN could have a significant and lasting presents in that theater. The UK/Japanese compact would benefit both nations and if expanded to land warfare systems, endless possibilities could ensue.
Coming from the East End I remember when young seeing on a semi demolished wall Harland and Wolff written on it on the Isle of Dogs. Never got to finding out the history there but as that and to the east were the centre of ship building and maintenance on the Thames I assume it must hint back to that era which only totally died post war.
Wish I had done it before here is a wonderful reference of the company’s history in London, a lot bigger in the East London than I realised despite having researched the history of Thames Ironworks a while back where the Union Castle line was prominent.
https://www.thehistoryoflondon.co.uk/harland-wolff-on-the-thames/
Having built 2 huge aircraft carriers etc etc why do we need a transfer of skills from Spain???
Because Harland and Wolff haven’t built two huge carriers…
The front and middle sections of the ships are probably just as or more complicated as the rear ends being built in Spain. Whilst not actually building ships H & W have for years been repairing them so they are not exactly devoid of skills that they need help from the Spanish.
The Spanish civil ship building Industry is far ahead of ours sadly thanks to neglect and this transfer of technology and IP will be a once in a lifetime opportunity for us to progress an industry that was all but lost and to do so with modern thinking and techniques. Military ship building experience and expertise doesn’t like for like pass into more civilian style ship building even if one thinks because of size building a carrier means you should be able to build a liner. The Spanish have lots of engineering skills that sadly we have lost or never… Read more »
Spyinthesky
As a retired Chartered Engineer I too have regretted the tremendous loss of engineering skills in the UK. Many thanks for a well thought out and erudite reply. I accept what you say.
One must remember there still are requisite skills in the UK. Two huge aircraft carriers (a third of the cost of American carriers) built – plus a superb complex research ship ‘The Sir David Attenborough’ built at Cammell & Laird and the new frigates being built in Scotland. I expect, with H & W, the skills are in the wrong place at the moment – hence the Spanish help.
Hi folks,
Great news hopefully this is the start of a new phase for UK ship building. Apart from naval vessels, it may pave the way for large scale ship build from around the world?
I wonder if the result would have been different if we were still in the EU? Having to follow EU procurement regulations and weighty beureucratic process.
Cheers
George
We bought Dilligence and Argus when in the EU George, so I don’t think that applies in this case.
Regards.
HMG was always able to just label any vessel a warship and therefore exempt from EU procurement rules and regulations/ requirements.
This is precisely what France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Netherlands all do. Thereby protecting their own indigenous ship building capacity.
Absolutely we really have shot ourselves in the foot using the blame game on others to deliberately cover for what’s the most part been the short-termism to save money initially at the expense of immense damage to our industrial base. Much if that is down to Politicians being tied into the City, Services and Finance sectors than Industry which they neither understand or even have respect for sadly if it’s not downright contempt.
We never had to follow EU procurement regulations. That we did the first time around was the Government’s choice, probably Cameron’s although the decision was published under Theresa May. Parliament stepped in and told them to do it again, which is one reason why we find ourselves many years behind schedule. Wallace under Johnson just redefined the ships as military, as they always should have been, and all those pesky EU competition requirements disappeared.
EU procurement has never forced governments to procure competitively when when covered by a labelled of defence and security..basically there are so many potential exclusions you never need to competitively tender outside of selected providers ( your allowed to protect you own state’s security and defence manufacturing as its part of national security). Even the whole complex warship think was a made up UK government thing..if it’s in the interests of your defence and security you choose who you buy it from even if it’s a tanker pained grey. Even if something is not covered by one of the defence… Read more »
Basically, it has been used as an excuse by UK Governments (of all colours) for buying from foreign county’s/companies
Cannot disagree with that.
Let’s hope the Spanish build this to a higher quality than they did the AJAX hulls.
Team Resolute long since recognised as the best consortium, of course. What’s not to like:-
a)Proven innovative designer in BMT with these vessels leveraging off Tides.
b) Proven manufacturer with Navantia, so 1st in class gets a gallop out of the stalls and deals with any issues of same; which should be less under a) & detailed CAD design.
c) New, spacious shipbuilding capacity – infrastructure, infrastructure, infrastructure.
d) Skilled workforce trained.
Mind you, I’ve just decoed the picture in today’s Times Business. Ben looks chipper. The four in the background – err, not so much. Does Harland & Wolf Group Holdings (erstwhile InfraStrata) know something we don’t? Only joking 😨
Great news, if a bit late. Fantastic for shipbuilding work back in Belfast.
RFA Regent, Reliant and Resource anyone?! If not then perhaps reusing Leaf or Ness names from previous tanker/replenishment classes.
Nothing wrong with introducing new names but it’s nice to see ones with history and heritage being brought back!
Nice, yes why not! Contact the Admiralty Naming Committee.
I sure hope the Spanish can properly build the sections. Last time we wanted them to help with a defence project they messed up the fabrication of the Ajax and somehow they GDUK accepted that quality, I hope Team Resolute doesn’t do the same.
Other than that everything else is great.
Very pleasing to see these ships ordered and in a way that will improve our industrial capabilities..reinventing in two shipyards…and bringing in outside experience and knowledge to upgrade our way of working nots what to like..it’s well worth a bit of job share to Spain if we can make these two yards internationally competitive, even if they are not just making them a really viable choice for recapitalisation of the RFA is worthwhile. The only down side is that these ships were ordered about a decade too late. we really needed our first new solid support ships now. Having the… Read more »
These ships must carry a lot of stuff. I take it they carry the weapons, food, spares basically everything apart from fuel.
I wondered how much food a carrier and ships can carry and it lasts for.
I know at full flight ops the carrier can burn through the fuel and weapons very quickly.
No space on these dry ships for anything fuel to make them a one stop shop.
If the tankers carried mostly fuel and a bit of dry stuff I would think that could be more flexible for deployments.
I’ve been following this project since 2002, when it was part of the Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability (MARS) programme. I often thought that an order would never be placed! Next up, the Multi-Role Support Ship (MRSS), assuming timescales slip it would be a perfect follow-on for Harland & Wolff.
Looks like this BMT design only has the 2 CIWS, down from 3 on others, and can’t see any 30mm. Sure the naval architects know what they’re doing, but please some sensible level of defensive armaments for this key 200m+ vessel!
Why no lightweight HVM/Star Streak mounts? Any ASM/ASW/torpedo decoys? It’s a big juicy fat target! And yes I know, it’ll likely to be in a CSG!
How much of the stern is the stern? Is it just the superstructure aft? Is it that whole part of the ship?