Defence Secretary Sir has paid a visit to
Glasgow’s Ferguson shipyard as industry develops plans for a brand
new class of frigates for the Royal Navy.
The Defence Secretary launched an ambitious National Shipbuilding
Strategy last month, in which he laid out plans for a first batch
of five of another new class of frigates – the Type 31e. Industry
has been invited to provide high level plans to build an initial
order of five ships at a maximum average price of £250 million
per ship.
The Defence Secretary has personally committed to visiting all of
the UK’s major shipyards in the run-up to industry bringing
forward its solutions for the Type 31e class, as he looks to grow
the Royal Navy fleet for the first time since World War Two.
Defence Secretary Sir said:
With our cutting-edge Type 26 frigates already being built on the
Clyde, I know Scottish skilled engineers will relish the chance
to compete to build a brand new class of warships for the growing
Royal Navy. We want to make the most of the renaissance in UK
shipbuilding, delivering the latest ships that will help protect
our nation and our interests across the world.
Part of the MOD’s £178bn equipment plan, the contract for the
first three Type 26 frigates has already been signed.
Safeguarding 4,000 jobs in Scotland and across the UK supply
chain until 2035, they are being built at BAE System’s Govan
shipyard on the Clyde.
The Defence Secretary cut steel on HMS Glasgow, the first Type
26, in July. Along with her sister ships she will have a truly
global reach, protecting the UK’s strategic interests, alongside
the UK’s nuclear submarines, and delivering high-end warfighting
capability wherever it is needed. In a further commitment to
Scottish shipbuilding, five Offshore Patrol Vessels are being
built at BAE Systems’ Scotstoun shipyard in Glasgow, sustaining
around 800 jobs. Ahead of his trip to Ferguson, the Defence
Secretary also visited the Scotstoun site where his wife, Lady
Wendy Fallon, formally named the second OPV.
With the Government committing to build the Type 31e warships in
the UK, Ferguson has the opportunity to compete for this latest
programme to build ships for the Royal Navy. One option is to
build the Type 31e frigates in blocks around the country,
assembled at a central hub. This reflects how the biggest ship
ever built for the Royal Navy, the 65,000-tonne HMS Queen
Elizabeth, was constructed.
The Type 31e Frigates will not only be designed to meet the needs
of the Royal Navy, but also the export market. The Government
will work together with industry to provide the certainty and
support needed to become internationally competitive. Such a move
will boost the British economy and jobs, while also helping to
create a more stable and well-protected world.
The Defence Secretary has already paid visits to Cammell Laird in
Merseyside and Harland and Wolff in Belfast as he continues to
reach out to shipyards across the UK. Earlier this week BAE
Systems and Cammell Laird outlined their proposal for the Type
31e.
