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Babcock International Group has signed a four-year, £750 million (AU$1.44 billion) contract with the UK Ministry of Defence’s Submarine Delivery Agency (SDA) to deliver the infrastructure required to support and sustain the UK’s nuclear-powered submarines.
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The contract for the delivery of infrastructure to support submarine maintenance includes a dock, logistics, and modern support facilities, and underpins the wider role Babcock plays in sustaining the entirety of the UK submarine fleet.
Babcock will deliver substantial upgrades to existing infrastructure that will support the future capability of the Royal Navy and the UK’s Defence Nuclear Enterprise, as part of the major infrastructure program underway at the Devonport site.
Defence Secretary Grant Shapps welcomed this announcement and its implications for the Royal Navy’s nuclear-powered submarine fleet, saying, “Maintaining the infrastructure that supports our world-leading submarine fleet is crucial.
“Delivering on our government’s priority to grow the UK economy, this significant investment will create and sustain more than a thousand UK jobs in the south-west, providing vital improvements to the dockyard that will be critical to ensuring our Royal Navy can continue to protect the UK and our allies,” Secretary Shapps added.
This contract forms part of the site-wide infrastructure upgrade program at Devonport that will enable the ongoing delivery of base maintenance periods and deep maintenance projects for current and future classes of submarine, including nuclear defuel.
Sir Chris Gardner KBE, chief executive officer of the Submarine Delivery Agency added, “Investing in our vital submarine maintenance facilities in the Defence Nuclear Enterprise at Devonport is critical to our national security. I am delighted to have placed the construction contract with Babcock for the delivery of dock and infrastructure for our attack submarine deep maintenance projects later this decade. This will ensure we deliver available and capable submarines for the Royal Navy to operate in defence of our nation.”
The construction program is one of the largest of its kind and highlights the Ministry of Defence’s investment being made at the Devonport site, the skills and capability this brings to the city and region, and the ongoing commitment to protect the nation. This major infrastructure program will see a further 1,000 construction roles created as the construction phase of the program continues to ramp up over the coming year.
David Lockwood, Babcock’s chief executive, added, “The work we deliver in sustaining the entirety of the UK’s submarine fleet is critical. This investment will ensure that we are able to continue to deliver the complex maintenance and life-extension programs we undertake to ensure our Royal Navy can continue to go to sea safely, and able to deliver their important work in protecting our nation.”
Supporting Babcock on 10 Dock are delivery partners Costain and Mott Macdonald, and main works contractor Kier BAM, bringing world-class infrastructure delivery experience to this important program.
