STORY
The Government has announced that British shipyards will build three new floating docks for the Royal Navy submarine service and a new marine research vessel. Chancellor John Healey said the projects formed part of a new age of industrialisation intended to support skilled employment, strengthen national security and create work for smaller British businesses.
The floating docks will be procured through a competition restricted to the United Kingdom and installed at HM Naval Base Clyde. The facilities, known collectively as Programme Euston, will be used for inspections, upgrades and repairs across the current and future nuclear submarine fleet, preserving a capability that ministers regard as strategically important.
The separate research vessel will replace the ageing RV Cefas Endeavour and is expected to enter service in the early 2030s. It will monitor fish stocks and pollution, map the seabed and use technologies including automation, robotics and artificial intelligence. The Government has not yet named the shipyards that will receive the work.