UK Docks, the maritime service provider headquartered South Shields, has been awarded a multimillion-pound contract by the Royal Navy in a deal that secures 150 jobs on Tyneside.Defence minister Stuart Andrew announced that the contract, worth an expected £150m, will support the survey ships HMS Echo and Enterprise along with the ice patrol ship HMS Protector.The contracts form part of a wider £1bn deal for repair and maintenance works on the Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships and Survey and Hydrographic Fleet. The deal covers 17 ships and will improve how spares, repairs and maintenance work are carried out.