Daring Handed to Royal Navy
The 7,381.5 ton Daring has now completed a range of stringent trials and tests and is due to sail to her home port of Portsmouth in the UK in January 2009 to undertake several months more of trials and training before she is declared ready for operational service. The construction of Daring has involved thousands of people at shipyards on the Clyde in Scotland and at Portsmouth, using factories and businesses across the UK. "The Acceptance-off-Contract today of HMS Daring is by far the most exciting and formative milestone of the year.
VT and BAE Agree on Shipbuilding JV
VT Group has finalized its shipbuilding joint venture with BAE Systems. Under the agreement -- the terms of which are substantially unchanged from those set out in the framework agreement in July 2007 -- the BVT Surface Fleet Ltd joint venture will be owned 45 percent by VT and 55 percent by BAE Systems. The joint venture, under which VT has an option to sell its stake to BAE for at least $745 million, is key to VT's attempts to focus entirely on support services, leaving behind its origins as a shipbuilder, Reuters said. Last July, gave the go-ahead for plans to build two aircraft carriers, triggering the deal to merge operations at BAE and VT, 's two largest shipbuilders.
