Refits, Upgrades and Conversions

RFA Fort Austin. Refits,Refits, upgradesupgrades andand conversionsconversions

Crown Copyright/MoD

BAE Systems retains in-service support contract for RN’s Batch 1 OPVs

BAE Systems has retained the in-service support contract for the Royal Navy ’ s three Batch 1 OPVs - HMS Severn, HMS Tyne and HMS Mersey, until they are decommissioned in April 2028. The new contract, awarded by the MOD’ s Naval Ships Support Team, is worth between £350 million and £400 million. Both Severn and Tyne were decommissioned in 2017 and 2018 respectively,but then returned to the fleet due to increased requirements for such vessels. The new contract calls for BAE Systems to plan for the execution of global repair and maintenance; engineering support; planned, preventative and corrective maintenance; operational defect rectification; obsolescence management, and post design services. BAE Systems has maintained the three OPVs for a number of years, working in co-operation with A&P Defence,within theA&P Falmouth shipyard in Cornwall,where drydockings are undertaken.

Austal USA wins US$72.5m contract to support LCS vessels in Western Pacific

Naval vessel builder Austal USA has secured a US$72.5 million contract from the US Navy to undertake maintenance on Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) deployed to the Western Pacific, Indian Ocean and the countries and ports in the region. In 2017 Austal established a service centre in Singapore, next door to the Singapore Navy ’ s Changi Naval Base, to support deployed LCS’ s and Austal-built Expeditionary Fast Transports.The contract value could rise to $215.9 million if options for further periods contained in the contract are exercised by the USN.Work on the initial 24 months started in January 2022 and will be complete by December 2026, if all further options are exercised.

Bechtel to compete to modernise US Navy repair yards

The US Navy has selected Bechtel as one of five teams to bid for its SIOP (Shipyard Infrastructure Optimisation Programme) contract. Under the multi-year programme, Bechtel will pursue the construction of new drydocks and infrastructure at Hawaii’ s Pearl Harbor and Washington State ’ s Puget Sound Shipyards. Both of these shipyards and their drydocks are over 100 years old.The new graving docks will be designed to maintain existing and future attack-class submarines and aircraft carriers. SIOP, which has a combined value of US$8 billion, and runs until 2029, is a joint effort between Naval Sea Systems (NAVSEA), Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NFEC) and Navy Installations Command (NIC) to upgrade four publicly owned naval shipyards to support the combat readiness of the USN.The new Pearl Harbor drydock will be over 198m long, while the new graving dock for Puget Sound will be around 365m in length.

German Navy’s training vessel Gorch Fock returns to service after major refit

The German Navy ’ s classic sail training vessel, the three-masted barque Gorch Fock, finally returned to service in November 2021 following her fraught refit at Elsfleth Werft in Emden.The refit, which initially was expected to take just a matter of weeks, ended up taking years with final costs being way over budget. Gorch Fock’ s refit started in January 2016 and was to have taken just 17 weeks and cost Euro 10 million. However, undetected hull and structural damage to the 1958-built vessel saw costs rocket to over Euro 135 million and the work taking nearly six years to complete.The vessel is back doing what she does best, training the Germany Navy ’ s new officer corps. She now features new masts, totally rebuilt mid and upper decks and a new teak deck.Around 80 percent of the vessel’ s exterior has been replaced and the 1,499 GT vessel’ s service life has now been extended well into the 2040s.

Greece to upgrade Hellenic Navy’s four Hydra-class Meko 200 frigates

In a move to improve anti-submarine warfare and expand area air defence capabilities, the Hellenic Navy is to upgrade the combat capabilities of its four Hydra-class Meko 200 frigates - HS Hydra, HS Spetsai, HS Psara and HS Salamis, all commissioned between 1992 and 1998.This move is part of a much wider capabilities increase which includes building and acquiring second-hand vessels to provide an interim frigate capability while the Hydra Class undergo their upgrades.Although the Hydra-class ’ hulls are in good condition, the frigates would need upgrades to their diesel-generators and gas turbines for any new combat systems, such as Lockheed Martin ’ s AEGIS system.

Russian Navy’s aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov to resume repairs

The much-delayed repairs to the Russian Navy ’ s aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov have taken another turn.The vessel will enter an upgraded floating dock at the 35th Shipyard in Murmansk in June 2022 to finally complete her upgrade.The 35th Shipyard is an affiliate of the Zvyozdocha Shipyard and work on the aircraft carrier is now expected to be completed in the summer of 2023, with Admiral Kuznetsov being returned to service with the fleet by the end of 2023.

UK’s MOD looks at retrofitting the fleets of the RN and RFA with hybrid propulsion systems

The UK’ s Ministry of Defence (MOD) is looking at the possibility of retrofitting the surface fleet of the Royal Navy (RN) and the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) flotilla with hybrid/ electric powertrains (propulsion systems). The hybridisation of the vessels will help reduce vessel carbon emissions to net zero by no later than 2050.Through prior research it has been found that hybrid engines have the potential to significantly reduce the overall emissions of both RN and RFA vessels.The Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA), on behalf of the MOD’ s Naval Ships Support Central Engineering Team is running a Market Exploration to identify available hybrid powertrain technologies for implementation into service by 2030.This exploration will allow a better understanding of what is currently available for use and what approaches the MOD can take in future steps.

RFA Fort Austin and RFA Fort Rosalie sold to Egyptian Navy

In an unexpected development, the UK MOD’ s Defence Equipment Sales Authority (DESA) has sold the two oldest vessels in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) for further trading and not for scrap as most people thought. The two solid store ship RFA Fort Austin and RFA Fort Rosalie, both built in 1978 and 1979, and decommissioned in March 2021, have been bought by the Egyptian Navy. Before sailing for their new life in the Middle East, both vessels will undergo a major refit at a yet to be named UK shipyard.This yard is most likely to be Birkenhead-based Cammell Laird, which has been responsible for the maintenance and support of the two vessels for a number of years, and knows the sisterships inside out. RFA Fort Austin and RFA Rosalie are currently laid up on the Birkenhead Float and will be replaced by the three new fleet solid support (FSS) vessels, which are soon to be ordered at a cost of £1.5 billion.The new FSS vessels are designed to form a major part of the RN’ s Carrier Strike Group. Currently, four consortia are battling it out to win the FSS newbuilding contract, after being awarded Competitive Procurement Phase contracts to enable design to be developed and finalised.

The consortia comprises: * India ’ s Larsen & Toubro, which includes UK company Leidos Innovations * The UK’ s Serco Marine Services and Dutch shipbuilder Damen Shipyards * Team Resolute, including UK ship designer BMT and UK shipbuilder Harland & Wolff * Team UK, which includes the two UK warship builders BAE Systems and Babcock and allied to shipbuilder Cammell Laird The four consortia have been awarded £5m each to refine their bids for the new solid stores vessels.The newbuilding contract is expected to be awarded in May 2023 with the ships due to be delivered by 2032.The MOD stipulates that the contract will only be awarded to a UK company acting either solely or as part of a consortium.

US$500 million design contract awarded for shipyard upgrades

The US Navy has awarded a US$500 million design contract for the modernisation of two of its shipyards in Hawaii andWashington State. The engineering contract has been awarded to Honolulu-based WSM Pacific SIOP by Naval Facilities Engineering Systems (NAVFAC) and is for structural and waterfront related projects at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility in Hawaii and the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility in Washington State.The five year contract will mainly support construction, repair and alteration projects at both shipyards as part of the USN’ s Shipyard Infrastructure Optimisation Programme (SIOP) and will help ensure that both shipyards - originally designed and built in the 19th and 20th centuries - are able to maintain, modernise and repair surface vessels and submarines, and return them to the fleet on time. SIOP is a joint venture between Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) and Commander, Navy Installation Command (NIC) to recapitalise and modernise the infrastructure at the USN’ s four public shipyards, including repairing and modernising drydocks, restoring shipyard facilities and optimising their replacement of ageing and deteriorating capital equipment.

Norfolk Naval Shipyard completes the DSRA of USS Pasadena

The US Navy ’ s Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Pasadena has returned to the fleet after completing its drydocking selected restrictive availability (DSRA) atVirginia ’ s Norfolk Naval Shipyard.The boat,commissioned in 1989, spent just over a year at the shipyard to replace, repair and overhaul components throughout the submarine and was the yard’ s first DSRA in 10 years.While USS Pasadena didn ’t meet it’ s original completion date, improvements to the boat helped deliver the submarine back to the fleet and are being implemented on other US Navy overhauls at Norfolk, which include the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and the Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Toledo.

USS Pasadena.