Mod News

Britain's Ministry of Defence said on Sunday it would spend 405 million pounds ($514 million) to upgrade a missile system now being used by the Royal Navy to shoot down hostile drones over the Red Sea.The Sea Viper Air Defence system will be upgraded with missiles featuring a new warhead and software enabling it to counter ballistic missile threats, the MoD said in a statement.The contracts were awarded to the British division of MBDA, a missiles joint venture owned by Airbus…

GE Vernova's Power Conversion business in the UK has been chosen by Team Resolute to supply advanced hybrid propulsion technology for three Fleet Solid Support (FSS) ships for the UK Ministry of Defense (MOD).Team Resolute is a consortium created by Spanish shipbuilder and defense company Navantia, shipbuilder Harland & Wolff and naval architects BMT to deliver the FSS program, for which Navantia UK, the UK subsidiary of Navantia, is prime contractor.The 216-meter-long ships for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) will be designed with an emphasis on minimizing carbon emissions.

Esgian's last roundup of the year for the Week 52 puts spotlight on new developments for Dolphin Drilling semisub, Seadrill drillships, as well as Shell’s plans for Australia and ONGC’s new tender for jackups in India.ContractsDolphin Drilling has signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with an undisclosed operator for the 1,500-ft semisubmersible Borgland Dolphin to undertake a 500-day drilling campaign in the UK. The drilling campaign is planned to begin directly after the firm part of the contract period with EnQuest, which was announced in late November 2023.

Babcock has been awarded two further contracts for work on the UK’s new Dreadnought Class submarine worth a combined £121 million.The contracts include a 4.5-year £66 million contract with the Ministry of Defence (MOD) to provide input into the development of the support solution for the UK’s new Dreadnought Class submarines. The new Class of submarine will replace the Vanguard Class in the early 2030s to maintain a Continuous At Sea Deterrent.Babcock will also provide the MOD with technical and management support…

Defense contractor Babcock has signed a four-year £750 million (~$916 million) contract with the UK Ministry of Defence’s (MOD) Submarine Delivery Agency (SDA), to deliver the infrastructure required to support and sustain the UK’s submarines for decades to come.As part of the major infrastructure program underway at the Devonport site, Babcock said it would deliver substantial upgrades to existing infrastructure that will support the future capability of the Royal Navy and the…

A converted offshore support vessel has taken on a new life as a dedicated underwater surveillance ship for the U.K.'s Royal Navy.Christened during a ceremony in London on October 10, RFA Proteus will be operated by the Royal Fleet Auxiliary as a launchpad for remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROV) and a home to a suite of specialist capabilities similar to those found in the offshore oil and gas industry.The ship, built in 2017 as a subsea construction vessel named Topaz Tangaroa, was acquired by the U.K.

Team Resolute, a consortium of Navantia UK, BMT and Harland & Wolff, has unveiled its evolved design for a Fleet Solid Support (FSS) ship.The progress towards a mature design is a key part of the UK Ministry of Defence’s (MoD) £1.6 billion 'Manufacture Contract’ for three FSS ships that will provide the Royal Fleet Auxiliary with enhanced capability to support global operations for the Royal Navy. The design from BMT’s UK based engineers and naval architects represents a significant advancement in naval logistics capability…

Silverstream Technologies appointed Catriona Savage into the newly created position of Chief Technology Officer (CTO). Savage will lead the continued development of the innovative Silverstream System and will further develop the technical centre-of-excellence built by Silverstream Technologies. The new role will lead on Product Development and Application Engineering and all aspects of product quality, safety and performance.Savage joins Silverstream following a career at BMT as Technical Assurance and Capability Director…

BMT announced it has signed a subcontract with Navantia UK, formalizing its role in delivering the £1.6 billion Fleet Solid Support (FSS) program for the British Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA).Under the terms of the contract, BMT will be responsible for delivering critical design, through life support and training packages. For all three 216m long vessels for the RFA, BMT will be providing functional design but also services that will ensure the ships can operate efficiently, safely, securely and in line with environmental requirements.

A specialist ship purchased by the U.K. Royal Navy to support mine-hunting operations has arrived in Plymouth.When deployed, the vessel will be based at Naval Base Clyde and used as a mother ship tp support the safeguarding of U.K. waters from the threat of mines at sea, operating a range of uncrewed systems that will help keep personnel at a safe distance under Project Wilton.Purchased from Norway's Island Offshore, the the 96.8-meter-long vessel – currently named Island Crown…

The Maritime Institute of Technology and Graduate Studies (MITAGS) announced that Mark Heward has joined its team as Director. Heward came aboard with MITAGS in October 2022, after retiring from a 22-year active service career in the Royal Navy.“We are thrilled to welcome Mark Heward aboard as the Director of MITAGS. Mark’s underway time, leadership, management and training experience together with being fully STCW qualified and his continuing education experience are a rare combination,” said Eric Friend, MITAGS Executive Director.

Team Resolute, a consortium comprising BMT, Harland & Wolff, and Navantia UK, has secured a contract worth £1.6 billion (currently around $1.97 billion) to deliver three naval support ships for the UK Navy.Harland & Wolff Group said Wednesday that, further to its announcement on November 16, 2022 regarding the award of preferred bidder status, the formal contract signature of the manufacture contract for the £1.6 billion Fleet Solid Support Programme (FSS) had  taken place between Navantia UK Limited (Navantia) and the Ministry of Defence (MOD)."Creating 1…

The Arleigh Burke-class Guided Missile Destroyer - The world’s most successful post-war surface combatantsThe USS Arleigh Burke (DDG 51) class of guided missile destroyers can rightfully be called the most successful class of surface combatants in the post-World War II era. The lead ship was commissioned in 1991, and the Navy is still building them at Huntington Ingalls Industries Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Miss., and General Dynamics Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine. A total of 89 have been procured through FY2022…

The Maritime Institute of Technology and Graduate Studies (MITAGS) said Friday that Mark Heward had joined as Director of MITAGS.Heward came aboard with MITAGS in October 2022, after retiring from a 22-year active service career in the Royal Navy.Eric Friend, MITAGS Executive Director, said: "We are thrilled to welcome Heward Heward aboard as the Director of MITAGS. Mark’s underway time, leadership, management, and training experience, together with being fully STCW qualified…

Britain won't proceed with building a new national flagship to promote business and trade interests around the world, defense minister Ben Wallace said on Monday, ending one of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson's pet projects.The ship was announced in May 2021 to host trade shows and negotiations, but tendering of contracts had not been completed.Wallace said that the project had been scrapped as he was prioritizing building ships to detect threats to cables on the seabed in…

Marine Specialised Technology Group has launched the first in a series of new Police Patrol Craft being built for the UK Ministry of Defense Police (MDP) and the Gibraltar Ministry of Defense Police (GDP)Awarded in March 2021, The Police Patrol Craft (PPC) contract is a six-year program that will see delivery of 18 patrol craft to various Police units around the UK and Gibraltar. The Patrol Craft will be used to ensure protection of major Royal Naval Assets, including capital ships and submarines…

The U.K. Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales has left Portsmouth en route to Rosyth where the £3 billion aircraft carrier will receive repairs after breaking down off the Isle of Wight in August.The 65,000-tonne warship will enter Babcock's dry dock in Rosyth where it will undergo repairs to its starboard propeller shaft which suffered a mechanical defect as the ship left for New York. Inspections by divers revealed the shaft coupling had failed. Since the aircraft carrier returned to Portsmouth Naval Base in early September…

Harland & Wolff's Appledore site in the UK's southwest has won a £55 million (around $65 million) contract to regenerate a former Royal Navy mine-hunting vessel, HMS Quorn. "On behalf of the Lithuanian Government, the Defence Equipment Sales Authority (DESA) awarded the contract that will see HMS Quorn renovated and restored, bolstering NATO maritime capability in Europe," the UK Ministry of Defence said Thursday."Supporting ambitions to bolster British shipbuilding, laid out in the National Shipbuilding Strategy Refresh, the regeneration will support 100 jobs at the south-west shipyard.

The Coast Guard’s 353-ton, 154-foot fast response cutter (WPC) is capable of deploying independently to conduct missions that include port, waterways and coastal security; fishery patrols; search and rescue; and national defense. The service plans to build 64 of them to replace the 110-foot Island class patrol boats. The FRC has a range of 2,500 miles, but the endurance of the 24 crewmembers is normally limited to about five days based on the quantity of provisions carried. Both the 110s and 154s have about the same speed and range…

The historic Belfast shipyard Harland & Wolff announced it has secured its first newbuild order since being bought out of administration in 2019.The shipyard, best known for having built the Titanic, is returning to action after being purchased by London-based InfraStrata. The yard said on Wednesday that it was awarded an initial contract worth approximately £8.5 million to build 11 barges for U.K.-based waste management and recycling company Cory, setting in motion the yard's…

Harland & Wolff said Wednesday it had acquired the former HMS Atherstone mine hunter from the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) for an undisclosed fee."The former HMS Atherstone is a mine hunting class vessel that is no longer in service. The company has acquired this vessel with a view to refurbishing it for non-military uses, discussions for which have already commenced with interested parties," Harland & Wolff said.Harland & Wolff is involved in a competition run by the MOD regeneration program for the former HMS Quorn (M55).

Braemar signed a seven-year contract with the UK’s Ministry of Defence (MOD) to provide global shipbroking services across all commercial maritime sectors. Under the contract, Braemar will provide the MOD with access to its S&P, chartering and research departments across Braemar’s 14 global offices. The seven-year contract encompasses all aspects of S&P, as well as spot and period chartering for routine and emergency response requirements globally.

While it is starting to look like some clever wind/power sail technologies are starting to appear, too often I have looked at the cargo cranes of geared bulkers and wondered if it makes sense to rig some sort of sail on them.I think the fancier approaches fight the “build a little, test a little, learn a lot” engineering maxim in new technology development, and maybe doing more simple stuff may be a better way to achieve lasting results quicker.A recent conversation with a sustainable propulsion advocate compelled me to run a few numbers.I found a bulker with a GA for a 2010 era 25…