Lloyd’s Register (LR) has signed a 12-month contract with the Ministry of Defence to provide in-service support for the Royal Navy’s submarine fleet.
The deal, agreed through the MOD’s Aurora Framework, will see LR embed experienced surveyors at HM Naval Base Clyde and provide technical consultancy from MOD Abbey Wood.
This marks the first time LR has been formally contracted to support operational submarines in this capacity. The company will deliver structural assurance and safety oversight, aiming to apply lessons from class-based regimes typically used in the commercial maritime sector.
“This contract represents a major step forward in our mission to support the Royal Navy’s submarine fleet,” said Matthew Palmer, LR’s Segment Director for Global Nuclear and Naval Submarines. “By embedding experts within the Royal Navy’s operating environment, LR is now uniquely positioned to help shape future submarine support frameworks.”
Although Royal Navy submarines are not formally classed to commercial standards, the MOD has increasingly explored how technical assurance from outside providers can reinforce fleet safety and availability.
The agreement reflects a long-standing collaboration between LR and the MOD in other areas of defence marine work.
According to LR, the dual-location approach is intended to ensure a combination of responsive site-based support and deeper strategic input from Abbey Wood. The organisation has emphasised that this model can help the MOD strengthen the sustainment of its submarine fleet without compromising operational independence.
LR’s involvement in day-to-day assurance represents a shift in how the UK manages the technical lifecycle of its most sensitive defence platforms.
Hmmme
I’m not sure a future trip down the HSE style absolutist regimes is a great idea.
They know nothing about military submersibles at organisational level.
Why?
Is this a reaction from the Duty Holder refusing to sign things off without appropriate technical support? Maybe as a reaction to a near miss?
This may simply be a first step towards LLoyds insuring the fleet – which would be an interesting idea.
Not many ships have been lost to enemy action in the past 80 years.
So H&S and a plethora of other rules, regulations and standards will apply, to Royal Navy vessels?
My first question is where is LR technical expertise coming from? Good with Merchant vessels but Nuclear Submarines?
The MoD seems to want to put in place all of the “extra’s” but seem to lack the ability to confront the basic truth that we need more subs, more personnel and more facilities to service the submarine fleet, Oh’ and the ability to build more than one sub every 10 years.
It is just more civvies getting their fingers in the defence budget pie to the detriment of the UK’s ability to defend it’s self.
It is an obsession with outsourcing.
The main question is ‘do we need to do this at all?’