During Lords questions, the Ministry of Defence faced direct criticism over a procurement decision that will see two dozen support vessels built abroad rather than in UK yards.
Lord Beamish challenged the Government on the recently awarded Defence Maritime Services Next Generation contract, under which Serco will acquire 24 tugs and pilot boats from Damen in the Netherlands.
He asked why this order was being sent overseas despite the national shipbuilding policy’s commitment to maintaining a steady flow of work into domestic yards. He added that the Dutch firm had “recently been bailed out by the Dutch Government”, arguing that the UK should instead follow Berlin’s decision to cancel a Damen frigate contract and redirect work to national industry.
Lord Coaker, the defence minister, did not defend the choice directly. He promised to “look at the specific example that my noble friend has raised” but pointed to other recent procurement wins as evidence of progress for British yards. He cited the Type 26 order from Norway as a major boost, calling it “the sort of example that we want to build on”. That shift to a positive case avoided addressing Beamish’s core concern on whether the MoD had undermined its own industrial strategy by purchasing the small vessels offshore.
The exchange also drew a broader point on systemic procurement problems. Lord Robathan argued that excessive bureaucracy often slows down decisions intended to favour domestic manufacturing. He urged the Minister to “look carefully at how we can get rid of some of the bureaucracy surrounding defence procurement.” Coaker acknowledged the concern but gave no specific commitments.
Are these 24 just Tugs, or for other support types as well. Because I count 24 current Tugs. If this is to replace varied other vessels that operate from Faslane, Portsmouth, Devonport, Greenock ( for Faslane ), Falmouth, Gibraltar, and BUTEC at K of L, then it is yet another cut as I count around 60 Tenders, Tugs, Pilot boats, and such in use.
The current fleet that replaced the varied RMAS vessels are SD named, Serco Denholm, who had the contract before Serco took over the lot, but are still have the SD name, such as the bigger assets SD Victoria and Northern River.
Typical evasive answer. Maybe the Dutch offered them cheaper?
“In 2025, Serco signed a contract with Damen Shipyards Group for the delivery of these 24 vessels as part of a renewal of its fleet. The vessels will include: Azimuth Stern Drive (ASD) tugs, Reversed Stern Drive (RSD) tugs, pilot boats, barges and crane barges. The vessels are to be delivered in 2027 and 2028.”
Naval Today, 9th September
Thanks Spock.
Hmmm, I wonder if some of the existing fleet remains as well then, as there are other types in use.
If this replaces the lot, it’s another cut.
Its a cut, theres essentially stoo many tugs for the assets we have left
Most of the replacement boats purchased by Serco have been from Damen. Since they took over they have replaced a large amount of the RMAS boats with new boats. Probably one of the reasons the RMAS was put out to tender was the cost of replacing the fleet which was very old ( and it until avoided the outcry over having them built abroad)
Presumably these are £50 million each and will take ten years to build…
I’m all for letting the Dutch build the tugs if it means we can focus on building Frigates, Destroyers and Submarines…
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂,yeah very funny.
Fancy buying some magic beans ? I’ll give you a good price.
So you not following the news on the Type-26 or too busy in your world of emojis.
So no answer. Who answered the tender? Capacity availability? Time period? I wonder what cl will fill the empty hall, now that the Merseyferry has been floated out.
Fabricating sections for T26?
Plenty of that to go round.
I’m not sure that the UK well placed for tugs etc as we haven’t done that for over a decade as far as I know.
Better of focussing on the big stuff which is enough of a struggle without going all spatter gun.
I would love to have everything built in the Uk but we have a massive workforce stove pipe issue and a huge number of complex warships that need building over the next decade or so.
Well quite.
It is enough of a struggle to get enough welders and fitout people into the existing yards….
I’d rather succeed at most of the shipbuilding specialising in complex than fail by doing too much.
If this is an actual order with ink on the paper and money changing hands it will be something at least as every other procurement story seems to never actually be true just a plan or an aspiration.
This had a budget line 3 years ago?
In my opinion all mod vessels,whether combatant or non combatant should be built in the uk.these would have been ideal new build projects for the likes of cammel laird ,Appledore (devon) ,and the last one ferguson marine,which before the dual fuel fiasco specialised in this work.what I cannot understand is the so called working man’s political party ,hates the uk working man so much .
They are to built in the Netherlands because our civil servants are eager to destroy the last little but if our war fighting capability. Without being able to make steel, mine coal, mine iron ore, construct ships of any sort we are totally vulnerable to attack by literally anyone and the civil service have been working on this for decades.
We are retiring ships because the civil service are blocking recruitment because we apparently must recruit black transexuals who don’t want to serve and if we can’t get them we aren’t allowed anyone else
Built in the UK and with the original colours of the PAS port authority ships the colours of Nelsons navy Black and mustard yellow .Traditionally colours ,many a morning we’d catch the PAS from RCYard to North corner In Pompey docks . Our private taxi service ,but also munitions, stores, tugs, bouy layers .All had black hulls with the mustard yellow superstructure, a nod too the Nelsonian era .
They should be built here but then what’s the point? The Russians are waltzing around our shoreline zapping lasers at both our RAF jets and the government threatens naval options forgetting that we have about 2 ships that can actually put to sea and they are unarmed. What are we going to do with an armed russian cruiser, tam it with rowing boats?
If youre going to complain about recruitment at least be accurate, its a lack of funds, were still cutting.
I appreciate that yes there is a lack of funds because the civil service don’t want us defending ourselves when Russia finally gets here this decade but it is also widely reported that many candidates are being turned away because of a lack of ‘balance’ with sex and ethnicity.
This is both good and bad new, good in the fact that the Blue Ensign fleet is being steadily renewed but Serco have been renewing vessels with Damen since 2009 from Holland and Poland, so dose that mean Damen can build cheaper vessels of that type (tugs mainly) the answer is yes, and they are good tugs to boot. So we must question the UKs ship building ability and the lack of investment in it.