"Terrible error of judgment" to hit construction of new "innovative" ship RFA Resurgent to support Royal Navy
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Major delays are expected to hit a shipbuilding programme which would construct supply ships to support Royal Navy operations.
The project to build the Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship RFA Resurgent and two other vessels is facing problems shortly after it begun. The Guardian reports that Liberty Steel Dalzell, in charge of building three Fleet Solid Support (FSS) ships, faces an uncertain wait for materials due to a cash shortage.
Engineers have been unable to start production in earnest as there is “no cashflow to buy slabs”, sources told the national publication. This is despite an order to supply 34,000 tonnes of metal plates to build the ships.
Sir David Murray, a Scottish metals magnate, said the government should step in and pressure the company to pass over control of the plant. These 216-metre FSS ships are designed to carry munitions, food, and other vital supplies. RFA sailors and capabilities play an important role in replenishing Royal Navy warships, keeping personnel at sea for longer and extending military operations.
This was used to great affect during Operation Highmast, where HMS Prince of Wales took charge of the UK Carrier Strike Group and completed various exercises in the Indo-Pacific. Commodore Sam Shattock, Commodore RFA, said RFA Resurgent will be an innovative “true warfighting enabler for the Royal Navy of tomorrow”.
The FSS ships are due to be built in Belfast by Spanish-owned shipbuilder Navantia. The Guardian said the cash shortage at Liberty Steel has left it unable to buy much-needed slabs from British Steel, leading to a pause in production.
”It’s a terrible error of judgment to remain idle when the British economy should have the capability of rolling wide steel which could be supplied to customers like Harland & Wolff and BAE Systems with new naval contracts 17 miles from the mill,” Mr Murray said. “We cannot going forward rely on importing everything.”
A Liberty Steel spokesperson said the plant “is fulfilling” the Navantia order, with trial production runs “are expected to shortly resume”. They added there is positive momentum from the defence contract.