Fleet of frigates to be built at Rosyth

ENGINEER ING giant Babcock has been named the preferred bidder for the £1.3 billion contract to build a new fleet of Royal Navy frigates.

The five ships will be assembled at its Rosyth Dockyard in Fife, securing hundreds of jobs, and will involve supply chains throughout the UK.

More than 2,500 jobs across the UK are expected to be supported as a result of the Type 31 programme, including 150 jobs for new technical apprenticeships.

The firm said work on the fleet will begin immediately once the formal contract is awarded later this financial year, with detailed design work first and manufacture starting in 2021.

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.

“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 UK Government has committed to buying at least five of the lowcost warships for the Royal Navy, with the first vessel expected to be in the water by 2023.

The average production cost is £250 million per ship.

The Ministry of Defence aims to award the contract by the end of the year.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said: “These mighty ships will form the next generation of the Royal Navy fleet.

“The ships will be vital to the Royal Navy’s mission to keeping peace, providing life-saving humanitarian aid and safeguarding the economy across the world from the North Atlantic, to the Gulf, and in the Asia Pacific.”

The new fleet of Navy frigates will be assembled by Babcock in Rosyth.