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Type Designation: Patrol Ship, PS
(Below) Artist's concepts of the River Class design
Displacement: 1,677 tonnes full load
Notes: Three new Future Offshore Patrol Vessel ordered from Vosper Thornycroft will replace the Royal Navy's remaining 5 (of an original 7) Island Class ships used for fishery protection around the coasts of the United Kingdom on behalf of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF). Work on the first ship is expected to start in April 2001 and she will enter into service in September 2002, the remaining two ships following at six months intervals. The running cost of these new vessels is partly met by charges to the MAFF. The Ministry's Sea Fisheries Inspectorate undertake a wide range of enforcement and other duties, inspections at sea are undertaken by the Royal Navy's Fishery Protection Squadron on behalf of the Ministry. In 1998, the Squadron provided 1,081 patrol days at a cost of some £6 million and during that period undertook 1,828 inspections. The 1998 Strategic Defence Review (SDR) stated that "The future of the Squadron will be reviewed as the Island Class vessels approach the end of their lives from 2007 onwards". It was later stated in November 2000 that the MoD was examining whether its requirement for offshore patrol vessels could be provided more cost effectively through leasing or other innovative arrangements. To that end, initial expressions of interest had been sought from industry and the responses were being considered. The conclusion seemed to be that the existing Island Class vessels should be replaced by 3 new vessels, and Invitations to Tender for a "Future Offshore Patrol Vessel" (FOPV) contract were issued on 12 December 2000 to eight UK shipbuilders, ship repairers and marine service companies to tender for the supply of the vessels using novel, cost-cutting procurement methods. The eight companies were:
MOD stated that the new ships would be acquired through a partnering arrangement with industry, and that it was seeking innovative means for providing the service in the most cost-effective and responsive manner. Each bidder was able to pick the number and type of ship (new or old) it was offering in order to meet the operational requirement of 960 days a year. As an alternative to the construction of new ships, the purchase and conversion of second hand ships was allowed and seriously considered, one option being to convert former fishing trawlers into naval patrol vessels. The closing date for submitting bids was 8 February 2001. It was announced by the MoD on 16 March 2001 that Vosper Thornycroft had been selected as the preferred bidder. Under the anticipated £60 million deal Vosper will build three new patrol boats, guaranteeing 450 jobs at its Woolston shipyard near Southampton. The MoD will then lease the three ships from Vosper for a five-year period after which it has an option to renew, buy the ships or hand them back to Vosper. The ships will be crewed and operated by the Royal Navy but Vosper's will provide the Royal Navy with the logistical support to service the vessels for the period of the leases which is expected to save the MoD £10m over the contract term, it is expected that the running costs will be reduced compared with those of the Island class. The actual contract was finally signed on 10 May 2001 and work will start immediately. There was significant political pressure exerted to ensure that Vosper Thornycroft won this contract with an order for at least 3 new ships as it faced substantial jobs losses and even closure otherwise. Vessel length is about 80 metres (260ft), armament will be restricted to just a single 20mm calibre main gun and machine guns. Like the Island Class the new ships will have good sea keeping abilities and will be very maneuverable in order to match the qualities of the vessels that they will have to deal with. The FOPV's will be able to carry and rapidly launch two boarding and rescue craft - VT Halmatic Pacific 22 MkII boats - with dedicated single-man operation davits and RIB tracking systems. In order to maximise the availability of the new ships, the MoD is planning to draw each ship’s company of about 30 personnel from a pool of about 45 men and women allocated to each ship. The additional crew members would be based on shore until called forward to relieve personnel on the ship in order to meet the Royal Navy’s requirements on “harmony rules”, which guarantee seagoing personnel a proportion of each year on shore. The ships will have accommodation to a very high standard with all officers and senior ratings having individual cabins with en-suite facilities. Junior ratings will have twin cabins with en-suite facilities. All accommodation will be capable of use by either male or female personnel. The ship will also have sufficient accommodation to be able to embark a small RM detachment. In operational terms, one of the major innovations is a large working cargo deck that permits users to equip the ship with specific facilities for a particular role, including disaster relief, anti-pollution, firefighting, rescue work or interception. A heavy crane with capacity for 25 tonnes is therefore fitted to handle standard containers. This working deck is also large enough to transport smaller craft such as oil spill recovery tractors, the Halmatic VSV (for special forces), an LCVP (for transhipment of cargo inland by river) and a variety of wheeled and tracked light vehicles. The vessel includes a flight deck for land based small/medium helicopters and aviation facilities can be enhanced to handle larger helicopters or to provide storage and maintenance facilities for helicopters. Last revised: 10th May, 2001
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© 2004-10 Richard Beedall unless otherwise indicated. |
