Babcock to take over upkeep of Royal Navy Type-23 frigates
Type-23 Duke-class frigate HMS Lancaster will come under the Babcock maintenance programme. (Photo: UK MoD/Crown Copyright)
The Royal Navy’s Type-23 Duke-class frigates for the UK Royal Navy were designed as anti-submarine warfare (ASW) ships but now have a multi-role function. Of the 16 Type 23s built, 12 remain in service with the Royal Navy and will be replaced by the Type-26 frigates before 2035.
Babcock will maintain and provide the upkeep and regeneration of UK Royal Navy Type-23 Duke-class frigates under a contract announced on 24 April.
Under the contract, the company will manage the Type-23 class frigate Refit Support Group and take end-to-end responsibility for vessel upkeep and regeneration in preparation for handover to the ship’s crew by working alongside the Babcock’s Upkeep project teams.
According to the company: “The move is designed to deliver improved platform availability through more seamless management of upkeep activity.
“It has already contributed to success in assisting ship’s staff and the Upkeep project team in delivering HMS St Albans to sea three months ahead of schedule.”
HMS St Albans returned to service earlier this month after a major refit, an effort which included a significant number of updates and upgrades to keep the platform at the leading edge of warfighting capability.
Capt Dan Peskett, Type-23 strategic class authority for the UK MoD’s Defence Equipment & Support, said: “[The deal] provides the opportunity for integration between ship staff roles and upkeep delivery, driving improved schedule adherence and risk mitigation, [as well as] allowing our Royal Navy engineers to be made available for other roles where they are needed.”
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