UK Awards $1.9B Contract for Navy Support Ships

Britain on Wednesday named a UK-led consortium to build three Royal Navy support ships in a contract worth 1.6 billion pounds ($1.9 billion).

It comes one day after the UK government said it would spend 4.2 billion pouds on five new frigates from defense giant BAE Systems to bolster security following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The Ministry of Defence on Wednesday said a consortium, comprising Britain’s BMT and Harland & Wolff and Spain’s Navantia, had been selected as preferred bidder to build the support ships.

Components of the three vessels will be produced at sites in the UK and Spain, but the final assembly will take place at Harland & Wolff’s shipyard in Belfast, a statement said.

The contract will create 1,200 new jobs in UK shipyards and hundreds more in the supply chain, it added.

The shipbuilding announcements this week come as the UK seeks to ramp up its military capability in the face of increased Russian threats after the Ukraine war.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Tuesday said Britain and its allies were boosting security “in the face of increased Russian threats.”