The Fleet Strong Help programme has handed its Important Design Evaluate, marking the transition from design to full manufacturing of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary’s next-generation provide ships, the Ministry of Defence and Navantia UK introduced.
The assessment examined the detailed design of the vessels, together with hull construction, security programs, environmental sustainability and integration of army tools. Completion of this stage permits manufacturing to start on the three 216-metre ships, which is able to present shops and munitions to Royal Navy vessels at sea.
Keith Bethell, Director for the Maritime Atmosphere at Defence Tools and Help, visited the Harland & Wolff yard in Belfast to mark the milestone. “I used to be impressed by the dimensions of transformation underway in Belfast, seeing firsthand how we are going to ship this world-class functionality and assembly people central to the programme,” he stated. “This necessary milestone brings us nearer to making sure the RFA can help our naval operations worldwide whereas strengthening sovereign shipbuilding for years to return.”
The assessment follows final 12 months’s Preliminary Design Evaluate and comes because the Belfast yard continues its modernisation underneath Navantia UK, which acquired Harland & Wolff in 2025. British and Spanish technical groups have collaborated on the design by means of a data switch programme involving work at each Belfast and Cádiz.
Navantia UK Chief Govt Donato Martínez stated “CDR confirms the exhausting work and collaboration between MOD, BMT and Navantia UK. This milestone demonstrates that the programme is able to meet its operational, logistical and effectivity wants because it gears as much as ship for the Royal Navy and RFA.”
In accordance with the Ministry of Defence, the three ships would be the largest UK army vessels aside from plane carriers and can improve the UK’s provider strike and replenishment capabilities.
BMT, which developed the useful design, stated the ships incorporate energy-saving and emission-reduction applied sciences according to the Royal Navy’s Web Zero 2050 targets. “We’re proud to have collaborated with Navantia UK and MOD to supply a secure, safe and environmentally aware design,” stated Catriona Savage, BMT’s FSS Programme Director.
Navantia UK stated the milestone aligns with its dedication to rebuilding sovereign shipbuilding capability. The corporate just lately welcomed 73 new apprentices, bringing its whole to 222, representing 20 % of its workforce. It plans to create 500 extra apprenticeships by 2030 as a part of efforts to strengthen the UK’s maritime industrial base.