Engineering giant Babcock has been named the preferred bidder for the £1.3bn contract to build a new fleet of royal navy frigates, in a move that could secure 2,500 jobs and the future of Belfast’s historic Harland and Wolff shipyard.
A consortium led by Babcock and including the Harland and Wolff shipyard, famed for building the Titanic, is expected to be formally awarded the contract later this financial year. Harland and Wolff supporters said the contract would sustain five to six years of work at Belfast shipyard through steel fabrication work alone.
The five ships will be assembled at Babcock’s Rosyth Dockyard in Fife and will involve supply chains throughout the UK.
Among the thousands of jobs expected to be supported by the programme are 150 positions for new technical apprenticeships.
The firm said work on the fleet will begin immediately once the formal contract is awarded, with detailed design work first and manufacture starting in 2021.
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Archie Bethel, Babcock chief executive, said: “Driven by innovation and backed by experience and heritage, Arrowhead 140 is a modern warship that will meet the maritime threats of today and tomorrow, with British ingenuity and engineering at its core.
“It provides a flexible, adaptable platform that delivers value for money and supports the UK’s national shipbuilding strategy.
“Arrowhead 140 will offer the royal navy a new class of ship with a proven ability to deliver a range of peacekeeping, humanitarian and war-fighting capabilities whilst offering communities and supply chains throughout the UK a wide range of economic and employment opportunities.”
The government has committed to buying at least five of the low-cost warships for the royal navy, with the first vessel expected to be in the water by 2023.
The average production cost is £250m per ship.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson will visit a ship on the Thames on Thursday.
Speaking ahead of the visit, he said: “The UK is an outward-looking island nation and we need a shipbuilding industry and royal navy that reflect the importance of the seas to our security and prosperity.
“This is an industry with a deep and visceral connection to so many parts of the UK and to the union itself.
“My government will do all it can to develop this aspect of our heritage and the men and women who make up its workforce – from apprentices embarking on a long career to those families who have worked in shipyards for generations.”
He added: “I look forward to the restoration of British influence and excellence across the world’s oceans.
“I am convinced that by working together we will see a renaissance in this industry which is so much part of our island story – so let’s bring shipbuilding home.”
The PM has appointed defence secretary Ben Wallace as the government’s new shipbuilding tsar to enhance the UK’s production.
He will look at how the government can use further education, skilled apprenticeships and graduates to achieve a sustainable skills base for British shipbuilding across the UK.
Mr Wallace said: “These mighty ships will form the next generation of the royal navy fleet.
“The Type 31 frigates will be a fast, agile and versatile warship, projecting power and influence across the globe.
“The ships will be vital to the royal navy’s mission to keeping peace, providing lifesaving humanitarian aid and safeguarding the economy across the world from the North Atlantic, to the Gulf, and in the Asia Pacific.”
The vessels will be fitted with the world-leading Sea Ceptor missile system, a range of highly advanced weapon and sensor systems, and a combat system with a 4D air and surface surveillance and target indication radar.
They will also have capabilities to operate with a Merlin or Wildcat helicopter.
Scottish secretary Alister Jack said: “Scotland has a world-renowned reputation for quality shipbuilding and I very much welcome the announcement that Babcock is the preferred bidder to design the MoD’s new Type 31 frigates.
“The Type 26 programme has already secured 4,000 Scottish jobs and 20 years of work on the Clyde and I’m looking forward to Babcock – including its key Rosyth yard – keeping Scotland at the forefront of a renaissance in UK shipbuilding.
“This is a clear show of support for the UK defence sector, the role it plays in keeping the United Kingdom secure, and its contribution to Scotland’s prosperity through high-skilled employment and investment.”
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