The long delayed Tide class tanker RFA Tidespring is finally on her way home after a scheduled stop-off in Japan.
Internal wiring issues had delayed the acceptance of RFA Tidespring, the first of four new naval tankers until January this year.
The first of the four military tankers built in South Korea was finally been handed over to the Ministry of Defence in January, over a year later than planned.
The Tide class tanker is a class of four fast fleet tankers that will enter service with the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. The 37,000 tonne ships will provide fuel, food, fresh water, ammunition and other supplies to Royal Navy vessels around the world.
First steel was cut on the 24th of June 2014 for RFA Tidespring, she was expected to arrive in Falmouth in Spring 2016 to allow A&P Group to fit military equipment such as communications gear. Her three sister ships were to follow at six-month intervals.
Defence procurement minister Harriett Baldwin earlier blamed “delays in finalising elements of electrical design and the installation of Multi-Cable Transit insulation in accordance with new legislative regulations” which have now been resolved.
The UK still expects to have all four tankers delivered by 2018.
All our naval ships should be built in the U.K. That’s it.
Great news
Hopefully the first of many new support vessels. It would be great to see the follow on batches made in the UK – but this must be within the price paremeters.
Major investment in the much under rated RFA – the sailors of the RFA deserve better equipment and hopefully this is the beginning of a total equipment refresh
If the MOD give unrealistic price paremeters, not even a subsidised South Korean yard would be able to build them. Remember the Bay ships. The national audit office reported than the rise in cost was actually a fair price, but the MOD seems to not of had a clue. The tax claw back has been said, could be around up to 40% if taxpayer funded ships are built here. Any taxpayer funded ships (can be other products) built abroad is money lost. Getting the little bits of the contract, and being awarded it by DSME was a huge humiliating insult… Read more »
As of this morning, still alongside in Yoksuka.
She is well East of Japan in International Waters.
http://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/home/shipid:3350065/zoom:10
On her way home. So, back to South Korea then! They are late, cost more then stated, and not much tax claw back for all the 600+ million pounds contract. Fleet Solid Support Ships should be built here in the UK, as Sir John Parker wants to see.
No British yards had tendered for the order. Do you think they would have been built here for the £452 million?
I never understand the economic argument that Governments play out when spending taxpayers money abroad. To me it is a failed logic that says we will ‘save’ £x Mn in total by buying abroad (like in South Korea) and losing the total economic benefit to the UK economy rather than spending £y Million here and retaining the economic benefit here. Better surely to spend £700 Mn here than £600 Mn in South Korea Taxpayers money is not the same as private money. It should ONLY be spent here unless there is some defining exceptional circumstance. Like Police Forces in the… Read more »
It’s due to eu and world governance rules that are killing us, and not allowing for a reborn viable sector. Pure wickedness!
Selling to Turkish scrap yard is one big set up fix too.
It was 458 million for just hull build, so yes, we could of done that. Does anyone take into account tax claw back, and that the 458 million was lost abroad and had not gone back into the UK economy. Vested interests and eu rules are killing us!
It looks like the South Koreans did a great job although these ships should and could have been built in the UK. Our ships could be scrapped in the UK (creating jobs) and then the steel recycled to build new ships (creating more jobs) and then those people will buy goods and services creating further jobs. All those jobs created will generate tax for the Government. It’s madness to continue with a single source supplier and allow foreign countries to build our ships when we have the skills and infrastructure at home.
No they did not. They were late too. I though they would be built in 5 months as some would have you believe.
The new tax payer ships should and must be built here, as well as scrapped here. Same as ships who’s main market is the UK in the future.
I mean who’s main market is the UK, in the future should be built here.
I see she is now in the Panama Canal complex
She was doing tests off Falmouth yesterday (Saturday) but was berthed in Falmouth this morning.
Welcome to your new home Tidespring.
I feel so ashamed and humilliated. Thank you eu despot empire and all it’s evil. Now it’s true colours are coming out in these negotiations. Bastards!