UK Docks lands major Navy deal and restores ‘HMS Enterprise’

The UK contracts are for 194 Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels, Vahana workboats and Ministry of Defence police craft – all to be managed from its offices in Victoria Quay, Gosport.

Against fierce competition, the company won three of nine lots offered in the Defence Equipment and Support Boats In Service Support Contract 2026, with all three contracts due to run until 2033.

Most of the work will be done at UK Docks’ Gosport facilities, with some at UK Docks’ boatyard along the coast in Cornwall.

The company now is responsible for the smooth running of the Pac 22 and 24 fleets, as well as passenger transfer boats fitted to Royal Navy aircraft carriers, a total of 109 boats.

The Pac 24 Rigid inflatable boats are workhorse vessels capable of policing, patrolling, interception and boarding and can be deployed from various Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary platforms, which will be supported globally from Gosport.

MoD police boats

In the second lot UK Docks will service and maintain MoD police boats that protect the assets and infrastructure around the UK’s three major naval bases. This will run for seven years.

The vessels are the Police Patrol Craft, Island Class, and Intercept and Escort Craft, as well as other specialist craft – 49 boats in total.

Again, the vast majority of the work will be carried out at UK Docks’ facilities, in Gosport and Cremyll, both of which are opposite the two southern Naval Bases – HMNB Portsmouth and Plymouth.

At HMNB Clyde, UK Docks will continue its long-standing relationship with Holyhead Marine and a select number of other specialists to provide support in the area.

Workboat fleet

The third contract is to service and maintain the Ministry of Defence’s workboat fleet across the UK and overseas, ensuring optimum availability, performance and safety of the SEA Class vessels recently introduced at MoD sites across the UK.

The workboat fleet provides Royal Navy training, dive support, and mine-hunting capabilities for the MoD and UK Docks has held the contract for the past two years.

Thirty-six boats will used at centres such as Britannia Royal Naval College and RN Dive Support Units.

UK Docks’ managing director, Jonathan Wilson, said: “It was a testing and demanding process but it was worth it and congratulations to all involved.

“It is fantastic news for the company and our staff, who have been building a reputation for successfully servicing MoD contracts for a number of years now.

“All three contracts are related to specific classes of MoD boats with specific end users and will provide a sustained demand for our workforce for at least five years, possibly seven.

“We’re very proud to be part of a marine industry that has shown that the necessary skills and expertise can be provided by a British company and British workforce, and we’re looking forward to delivering the highest standards of service and maintenance.”

UK Docks will project-manage the full support cycle across all contracts, including maintenance, repairs, upgrades, spares, obsolescence and configuration control, to maximise vessel availability and ensure the navy can carry out its duties without disruption to its boats.

The new contract caps a positive period of growth for UK Docks, which is reopening two docks on Teesside alongside the two it currently operates, has acquired a five-acre, 82,000 square foot riverside expansion at its South Shields HQ and continues a key partnership with Norwegian company Brunvoll to supply the first thruster equipment to the Government’s Fleet Solid Support contract being delivered by Navantia UK.

First international contract

From a fleet to a single vessel contract, UK Docks is also working with the Bangladesh Navy to restore and regenerate its newest purchase, the former HMS Enterprise.

The first-of-its-kind contract for the company will see the decommissioned vessel, currently in Portsmouth, towed to Teesside later this month.

Once in dry dock in the North East, it will be brought back to operational readiness over the course of 2026.

“It was a landmark moment for the company when it earned service and maintenance contracts with the Royal Navy more than a decade ago but this is the first time we’ve worked on a vessel for a navy beyond the UK,” said Wilson.

“It’s a completely new development for the company and one we’re looking forward to delivering on. It opens up a lot of possibilities for the company.

“The fact that this is a capital project for the newly formed Bangladesh Government and that it was signed by the equivalent of the first and second Sea Lords of the British Admiralty, shows its importance to Bangladesh and significance to us.

“Without doubt, it’s one of the biggest moments in UK Docks’ history, stretching back over 30 years of increasing growth.”

The work on the former HMS Enterprise represents a comprehensive modernisation effort by the new owners, including:

• Retrofitting advanced propulsion systems from Brunvoll AS, delivering enhanced manoeuvrability, improved efficiency, and operational reliability.
• Integration of cutting‑edge hydrographic and maritime technologies from Kongsberg Maritime, strengthening the vessel’s world‑class survey and data‑gathering capability.
• Extensive auxiliary and ancillary maintenance across essential onboard systems to ensure long‑term resilience, safety, and mission readiness.

Once work is complete, the 90.5m long, 3,740-tonne vessel will enhance the Bangladesh Navy’s operational capabilities, supporting hydrographic operations, maritime security, and broader sovereign objectives.

Launched in 2002 and commissioned by the Royal Navy in 2003, HMS Enterprise was known for its distinguished service in survey operations, humanitarian support and disaster‑response missions worldwide.

Decommissioned by the Royal Navy in March 2023, the former HMS Enterprise was officially sold to the Bangladesh Navy last month, a move that will boost Bangladesh’s maritime security and regional stability efforts.