Serco Royal Navy contract renewed

The contract, valued at around £200 million (€227 million), has been awarded by the UK Ministry of Defence and will last for 27 months commencing December 2022 with an option to extend for up to six months. The new arrangement follows the ending of a 15-year Private Finance Initiative (PFI) and is with the Royal Navy directly.

Providing support including towage services for any navy can be considered a prestigious contract. Assisting naval vessels at their bases can be of critical importance for a nation’s security, at the same time presenting challenges, for example assisting submarines and their unconventionally-shaped hulls and aircraft carriers with overhanging flight decks, all somewhat different to conventional commercial shiphandling.

Serco has been supporting the Royal Navy for more than 25 years. Its services include assisting movement of Royal Navy vessels at six sites across the UK, including His Majesty’s Naval Bases at Devonport, Portsmouth, Clyde and the BUTEC Ranges in Kyle of Lochalsh as well as overseas.

Range of services

The services extend beyond ship assist provision and include trialling new technology, passenger ferrying, supporting military exercises, and provision and maintenance of buoys and moorings. A team of 650 mariners and engineers provide the services, the company operating and maintaining a wide-ranging fleet of just under 100 vessels, not restricted to tugs and including utility and crew supply vessels, diving support vessels, tank barges, platform supply ships and pilot vessels.

Serco’s fleet of tugs is an interesting mix of vessels, some UK-built dating back several decades to a previous era when towing provision was managed more directly by the UK Government.

As mentioned, naval tugs have to meet specific requirements and the bulk of the towing fleet is comprised of modern vessels, including ASD and tractor configurations and dominated by Damen-built vessels including ASD 2009s, ASD 2509s and Stan Tug 2608s.

Worthy of mention are the ATD 2909 tractor tugs SD Bountiful, SD Dependable, SD Reliable and SD Resourceful – hulls built by Crist Shipyard Gdansk and completed by Damen Maaskant in 2009/10. Last but by no means least and worthy of mention is the powerful ART 80-32 Rotortug SD Tempest.