Babcock International has been awarded a three-year contract to support and maintain two mine countermeasures vessels ‘Cherkasy’ and ‘Chernihiv’ for the Navy of Ukraine following their transfer from the Royal Navy.
The two minehunters, essential defence assets for the country’s naval forces that will support activity such as keeping sea lanes open, will undergo planned maintenance and support by Babcock.
The contract follows the company’s reconfiguration and recommissioning of the vessels to ready them for the Ukrainian Navy.
According to a news release:
“The Company has also established Babcock Ukraine Ltd and has opened an office in-country, where a dedicated team will focus on support to the Ukrainian customer and industry partners. This move builds on the company’s wider ambitions in the central eastern European region. The Mine Counter Measure Vessels contract is underpinned by the tripartite Memorandum of Implementation signed in Odesa in June 2021 by the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, the UK Government and Babcock, and is part of a series of scheduled support to Ukraine’s defence capability.
As the prime industrial partner, it is Babcock’s first contract under the Ukraine Naval Capability Enhancement Programme (UNCEP) which includes the enhancement of capabilities on existing naval platforms. A team of mechanical and electrical engineers, working alongside fabricators, will provide preventative maintenance and technical support. Babcock will use its experience working on the Sandown class of mine countermeasure platforms to make improvements to the vessels, enhancing their operational capability and sustainability.”
David Lockwood, CEO Babcock said:
“Babcock’s role in international defence has never been more critical. As the lead industry partner in Ukraine’s naval capabilities enhancement programme, we are expertly placed to support these important naval assets. The recent announcement of our Ukrainian business, alongside this naval support contract, builds on the work we are already doing to support the country’s military land assets as part of the UK’s support for Ukraine.”
Babcock will also offer support at reach to the Navy of Ukraine, helping to equip the crew with real-time solutions to any problems they encounter. Technical advice and repairs can also be provided, whenever and wherever they are required.
Go Babcock!
I hope Babcock Ukraine doesn’t have an incompetent HR over there, unlike here.
HR anywhere are pretty useless.
Are you talking to yourself ?
Just correcting the statement that all HR departments are incompetent.
All HR Depts. have one sole mission and that is to protect the company from bad employees, bad actors in the ranks. HR has no remit that says it should cater to employees. They are paid by, and work for, the company, not the employee. And part of their remit is to stop employees forming a union by giving them the perception that their wants and needs are being handled as a priority by HR. Nothing could be further from the truth. So beware what you say to HR – and how you conduct yourselves…everything is written down and recorded… Read more »
I know. That’s why I refer to HR as a Soviet State.
I wonder if the UK would donate any of the older T23s that still have some life in them after the RN? Might still be useful in the Black and Asov seas.
I think the U.K. can do better. The government could order 3 light frigates/corvettes/type 31 with anti air, anti surface sub sea weapons and sensors for Ukraine. The U.K. pays for them upfront on a long war loan to Ukraine. If all goes well Ukraine gets naval ships in next few years. If not the RN can keep them or they can be sold elsewhere.
It money spent in the U.K. economy.
The type 23 are going to be pretty knackered and will require a long extensive/expensive refit. Availability is another issue. Probably 2029 at the earliest one could arrive.
Have you copied that from one of the serial bullshiter “Jim” posts?
Nope just inspired by😂😂😂
T31 order should be doubled and T32 cancelled.jgs possibly not going to happen anyway.
I’d rather see them go to the kiwis or south African. Avies in return for basing rights at simonstown
As I understand things, these ships will not be granted passage through the Bosphorus until the fighting stops.
I don’t know the details of the treaty Turkey uses to enforce the ban on passage of military vessels in and out of the Black Sea, but it seems the Turkish government has some latitude about interpretation. I can imagine that an exception could be made for mine countermeasures vessels, especially since at least one Turkish vessel has hit a mine.