Engineering giant Babcock is bidding to bring part of the £1.2 billion Type 31 frigate building programme to Fife.
The group has formed a ‘Team 31’ alliance with Thales, BMT, Harland & Wolff and Ferguson Marine in the hope of securing the £1.2 billion contract from the Ministry of Defence to build the new fleet of general purpose frigates.
Babcock said that, if successful, work would be “shared across the UK” with its dockyards facility in Fife – where the Royal Navy’s flagship Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers have been assembled – being among the beneficiaries.
The move comes just six weeks after The Courier revealed that 250 jobs at Rosyth were being axed as the aircraft carrier contract moved in to its final phase.
Ferguson Marine’s yard on the Clyde will also be in line for a boost if the Team 31 bid is successful.
“Team 31 will allow Babcock and Thales to take forward the key lessons from the Aircraft Carrier Alliance and apply them in a new and highly capable team with Harland & Wolff, BMT and Ferguson Marine,” Babcock chief executive Archie Bethel said.
“We firmly believe that our combined skills can deliver an affordable and effective Type31e Frigate programme for the Royal Navy and offer something new and exciting in the export market.
“With a high degree of UK content and the use of innovative technologies, we believe that our approach will deliver real benefits to UK plc.”
Victor Chavez, CEO of Thales UK said: “Thales UK is delighted to be working with Babcock and our partners as part of Team 31.
“We recognise the diversity of roles anticipated for Type31e and, together, we will create and exciting, innovative and flexible capability for the Royal Navy based on the best of UK and international technologies in an open-system architecture that will ensure long term value for money.”
