"Simply untrue": Tug boats for Portsmouth Royal Navy base will not be built in China amid "troubling" concerns
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“Deeply troubling” concerns have been raised about the construction of vital tug boats for HMNB Portsmouth - with the Ministry of Defence having to confirm they won’t be built in China.
A fleet of 24 vessels are being built to support Royal Navy deployments and infrastructure operations in Portsmouth and two other bases. They are being built by Damen Shipyards, which is part of a mammoth 10-year £850m afloat services contract signed between the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and Serco Maritime. These ships were previously described as being “vital” for military operations.
It was originally considered they would be built in The Netherlands, but reports by The Daily Record and UK Defence Journal intimated that they would be constructed in China. Chinese shipyards have been used for smaller standardised support vessels When Australia’s Department for Defence ordered similar ships under a civilian support contract, they were built at a Damen yard in China.
This would have created a security risk, with the country reacting in a hostile manner to HMS Prince of Wales and the Carrier Strike Group sailing through the South China Sea last year. Beijing made various warnings to the UK and US operating there and in the Taiwan Strait, with the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) responding in kind after a recent large scale exercise there.
Responding to the speculation, an MoD spokesman said: “Vessels being procured as part of this contract will not be built in China and future maintenance of the vessels will take place in the UK. This Government is stepping up our support for UK shipbuilders. We are looking closely at the subcontracting supply chain as part of our Shipbuilding and Maritime Technology Action Plan, which will set out our plans to ensure that we are maximising our use of UK industry as an engine for growth.” A Serco Maritime spokeswoman added: “None of the ships will be built in China. Suggestions that they will are simply untrue.”
Growing controversy
The afloat services contract was signed in September 2025. It covers all towage activities, as well as bunkering and watering, tank cleaning, passenger services, trials work, munitions and nuclear safety activities. These are essential for the continued operation of all shipping movements and major deployments from Portsmouth, Plymouth, and Scotland.
Members of the Prospect Union raised concerns in October about its feasibility, with several redundancies being made. Negotiations officer Nathan Morrison previously said this would cripple the Royal Navy’s ability to deploy, something which the force denied.
When asked about the recent developments, Prospect National Secretary for Defence Bob King said: “The UK government has committed to supporting domestic shipbuilding, creating jobs, and building a resilient supply chain, so it is disappointing that the work for this important MoD contract has gone to a Dutch company who sends the work abroad.
“While it is reassuring to hear that this work will not be done in China, this contract is yet another example of the perils of a cost-focused procurement model for defence, rather than one focused on long-term strategy, supply chain resilience, and security.”
Damen Shipyards has been accused of breaching Russian sanctions. Dutch prosecutors said the firm was involved in trading “goods and technology that could contribute to the military and technological strengthening of Russia”, during the second half of 2022. Damen shipyards denies this and legal proceedings are ongoing.
Further criticism was raised north of the border, with the GMB Scotland angry about British shipyards not being consulted for the construction of the ships. Louise Gilmour, GMB Scotland secretary, has written to defence secretary John Healey to ask for assurances that UK firms will be invited to tender for future contracts.
“We are now told these navy workboats will not be built there but not where they will be built? Do ministers know? If so, when were they told? Before or after these contracts were signed? The apparent secrecy and lack of transparency around this process is deeply troubling and raises far more questions than answers.
“Clearly, UK shipyards should have been invited to bid for this work and ministers should have been told exactly where and how these vessels were to be built before contracts were sent overseas. We will be told about how procurement rules tie the hands of ministers but other countries do not have the same trouble supporting their own industries, protecting their own workers, and safeguarding their own security.”