Tug fleet owner Serco has renewed a contract from the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) to continue to provide marine services to the Royal Navy for another 27 month.
This agreement, valued at around £200 million, follows completion of a 15-year private finance initiative for the provision of marine services, including naval ship and submarine handling and towage.
The ongoing contract will run from December 2022 to continue these services for the Royal Navy until April 2025, and the MOD has an option to extend the contract for up to six more months.
This gives the Royal Navy more time to work through a tender process for long-term provision of marine services including tugs for handling its naval ships.
Serco has been supporting the Royal Navy for over 25 years, assisting the movements of naval ships in and out of harbours and providing other support services, including trialling new maritime technology, ferrying passengers, supporting military training exercises, and providing and maintaining buoys and moorings.
Serco’s team of 650 mariners and engineers provide these services at six sites across the UK, including at His Majesty’s Naval bases at Devonport, Portsmouth, Clyde and the ranges in the Kyle of Lochalsh, as well as overseas.
Serco operates and maintains almost 100 tugs and other vessels, ranging in length from 11 m to 93 m and from 12 to 3,600gt.
Photo of SD Powerful and SD Bountiful at Portsmouth by Andrew Cooke
