£85 Million for 30 Engines for Belgium, Portugal, Netherlands and UK
The British Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on 4 July that it has signed a contract with Rolls-Royce for engine maintenance for the Type 23 frigate fleet, including engines from Belgium, Portugal and the Netherlands as well as the Royal Navy. The £85 million (€94.8 million) contract will cover maintenance of a total of 30 engines.
The contract includes a comprehensive support package for the SPEY gas turbines, including engine overhaul, provision of spares and engineering and safety support. Updates to the turbines are vital, as they boost propulsion and are key equipment for anti-submarine warfare (ASW). The contract is expected to deliver a £35 million increase in savings to the MoD over the next eight years, by incentivising Rolls-Royce to improve repair schemes, minimise unnecessary work and procure spares at a lower cost. This will result in shorter, less expensive overhauls. Rolls-Royce will project manage the support contract, while the main overhaul and repair work will be carried out by RWG based in Aberdeen, supporting up to 25 UK jobs across both companies.
“The Type 23 frigate is central to Royal Navy operations around the world and keeping it at the forefront of operations is critical,” observed Chief of Materiel, Ships at Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S), Vice-Adm Chris Gardner.
“This vital support contract builds upon our Rolls-Royce target to achieve and sustain increased SPEY engine availability to the Royal Navy and their NATO partners, the Netherlands, Belgium and Portugal,” added Rolls-Royce’s Director of Naval Fleet Services, Matt Nadin.
