Royal Navy: Vahana boats which support HMS Prince of Wales to be serviced in Gosport - MP praises investment

SEA-class Vahana boats - which will be used for diving, surveying, and training operations - will be maintained at Portsmouth Harbour by UK Docks. A total of 35 vessels have been constructed as part of a £48m project which began in 2017.

Conservative MP Caroline Dinenage was pleased to see her constituency be the home of high skilled engineering. “The wealth of skills and expertise that we have in Gosport make it an ideal hub in which to base the servicing of Royal Navy workboats,” she added. “UK Docks have always been a great asset to our local economy and I welcome this demonstration of confidence in them and Gosport’s maritime industry which I hope will lead to further investment in our town as businesses realise its massive potential.”

The Royal Navy previously said the boats will have mine warfare capabilities and be used to move personnel between ships and shore, including HMS Prince of Wales. The Ministry of Defence has signed a two-year contract with UK Docks so the vessels can be kept running long term. Managing director Jonathan Wilson said: “We are delighted to secure this contract which gives the company the chance to demonstrate its ability to provide the high standards and quality of service the navy demands.

“Winning important contracts like this does not come easily - a lot of work goes into making them happen and competition is intense because you are up against some of the best companies in the world in this field. So I would like to praise the UK Docks team that worked so hard to put together the successful bid to maintain the workboats and look forward to them keeping the vessels performing at their very best.”

The SEA-class boats travel at 25 knots on average, being powered by two Yanmar marine diesel engines which range from 350hp to 1000hp and Hamilton Waterjet propulsion. They will be replacing vessels constructed in the 1990s and reached the end of their service. Royal Navy Commander Peter Ware, Fleet Navigating Officer, said: “The acquisition of Vahana craft has played an important step in the modernisation of a range of operational and enabling capabilities across the UK Defence maritime operating environment and will provide an important platform upon which we can continue to build towards further integration of autonomous systems and delivery of effect in remote environments.”

UK Docks maintains HMS Medway, Spey, Forth, Trent, Tamar and the ice-breaker HMS Protector. The company winning the contract maintains engineering jobs in Gosport. Portfolio manager Ben Mason said: “UK Docks has invested heavily in our Gosport facilities in recent years and increased employment precisely to handle contracts like these. Our expanded capacity and investment in staff means the Vahana workboats will be maintained to operate at optimum levels and continue carrying out the important work they do.”