FSS: Navantia UK launches ship construction for Royal Navy

British logistics support vessel construction programme Fleet Solid Support passed a critical review of the project, opening the way for the start of the construction phase. This is a crucial moment for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, which thanks to the three new units will gain the ability to conduct long-term operations alongside the Royal Navy – without the need to use port call in the area of operations.

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Last week brought important information to the UK shipbuilding industry and to the Spanish company Navantia UK, who is responsible for the implementation of the FSS in Team Resolute consortium.

It is this entity that directs the design work, supervises the engineering process and coordinates the essential part of production. Construction modules will be built at Harlan & Wolff in Appledore and Belfast, where the final integration of ships will also be carried out. Selected hull sections and system components will be delivered from Cadiz, which highlights the cross-border nature of the project and the strong position Navantii in the entire venture.

Structure review (CDR) completed. Green light for Navantia UK

Just finished. Critical Design Review (CDR) was a necessary stage for starting production. This is a comprehensive analysis of the detailed design of the units, covering both the design system and internal systems, transport capacity and interoperable requirements. The review was conducted by the British Ministry of Defence in cooperation with the engineering teams of Navantii and Harland & Wolff – partly in Belfast, partly in Cadiz, where technical facilities of the knowledge transfer program have been operating for months.

The CDR is a continuation of an earlier preliminary review, which ended last October. Following its positive outcome, it was possible to move to the phase of final project approval. The current decision formally closes the concept-project stage and allows you to start cutting the first plates and preparing assembly stations.

Three ships to 2032. Schedule and financing

The agreement for the implementation of the programme was signed in January 2023. Its value is £1.6 billion sterling. The schedule assumes the start of proper production in 2025 and the transfer of all three units to service before the end of 2032. Ships are to enter the line successively – including parallel crew training and certification of on-board systems.

The project aims at maximising the share of domestic industry from the beginning – but in practice it is Navantia that provides key technological and engineering capabilities. The Spanish company not only manages the supply chain and the production of hulls, but is also responsible for the key design decisions, technological implementation and harmonisation of shipyard work in two countries.

Strategic importance support vessels: Logistics as a force projection tool

The FSS are not combat units, but it depends on their presence, how long and how effectively the Royal Navy will be able to run operations away from its own bases. The British have for years stressed the global nature of their commitments, although their activity in the Baltic is symbolic and real support for NATO's eastern flank remains limited. It is difficult to predict whether London will decide to return more strongly to the Baltic in the future, but in the context of the growing threat in our region and the value of Poland in the alliance, such a phrase would not be meaningless.

When tensions in the west Indo-Pacific parts they only grow, and the importance of efficient maritime logistics grows. NATO's alliance commitments and cooperation with regional partners come to this, which requires constant presence on key waters. Royal Fleet Auxiliary therefore needs large-range units, capacity and capacity to transfer supplies at sea – also when weather or operating situation forces long-term action away from ports.

Returning to dimensions, because they largely prejudge the operational capabilities of new units – ships Fleet Solid Support will be 216 m long and buoyancy about 39 000 tonnes. These are designed to transport ammunition, fuel, supplies and equipment, as well as to carry out inter-deck transfers under real operating conditions. Their presence will significantly increase the efficiency of the British strike groups and will strengthen the Royal Navy's ability to operate on waters away from the British Isles.