Finning Power Systems (Finning), the UK’s sole supplier of Caterpillar engines, has signed a contract in excess of $11.2M with BAE Systems for the supply of propulsion engines and associated machinery for the re-propulsion of eight Royal Navy HUNT Class Mine Counter-Measure Vessels (MCMVs).
Following an agreement between the UK Ministry of Defence and BAE Systems, the vessels are to be refitted over a five-year period at Portsmouth naval base.
Under the terms of the contract, Finning will supply the eight ships with sixteen Caterpillar C32 ACERT marine propulsion engines, gearboxes, mounting rafts, local operating panels and hydraulic systems that drive the existing bow thrusters. The new equipment will be designed to interface with the existing onboard equipment and systems that will be retained.
The first ship set of equipment will be installed in 2011. Further installations will take place on the seven remaining ships through to 2016, when the contract will be completed and all vessels will have been be returned to service.