Defence Online

Babcock secure HMS Queen Elizabeth maintenance contract

Maritime January 14, 2019

Defence Minister Stuart Andrew has announced that Babcock’s Rosyth dockyard has been awarded a contract to carry out the first planned dry-dock maintenance of Britain’s largest warship, HMS Queen Elizabeth.

The contract worth £5 million, will see the 65,000-tonne carrier to undergo a routine, planned hull survey and maintenance of her underwater systems over a six-week period at the company’s Rosyth site.

The work will sustain 100 jobs at its peak and be carried out in the summer.

Mr Andrew commented: “After a phenomenal year of trials off the East Coast of the US, this dry-docking contract is an important step for HMS Queen Elizabeth as she gears up for operations.

“The largest ship in our Royal Navy’s history, which was assembled in Rosyth, will now return for this multi-million-pound routine maintenance work as she gets set to represent Britain across the world for decades to come.”

The dry-docking period will mark the cutting-edge carrier’s return to the shipyard where she was built.

Her sister ship, HMS Prince of Wales, is currently undergoing the final stages of construction at the Rosyth yard and was powered up for the first time in November.

She is due to be handed over to the Royal Navy later this year.

Russell Brown, Director Ships Support at Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S), said: “The teams at Defence Equipment and Support are committed to bringing the national flagships into operational service and this dry docking is a crucial step on that journey.

“This significant national enterprise is built upon the excellent relationships across defence and the unparalleled skills within UK industry.”