First block to berth for new RN OPVs

Vosper Thornycroft has moved to berth the first block of the initial ship in a class of three offshore patrol vessels being built for the Royal Navy.

The 50 tonnes block, which forms a lower section of the central hull, is part of HMS Tyne, the first in the trio of 80m. River Class vessels. She is scheduled for acceptance into the Royal Navy in Autumn 2002, while the other ships in the Class, HMS Severn and HMS Mersey, will follow in 2003.

The River Class are being built by VT under an arrangement which will see the ships leased to the Royal Navy under a five-year agreement which will also include VT taking responsibility for maintenance and support during that period. It is the first time the Royal Navy has procured ships under such an agreement and reflects the growth of VT's support services business, which now accounts for around 50 per cent of turnover.

VT Shipbuilding Managing Director Andrew Bunney commented: "The Future Offshore Patrol Vessel will provide us with a stable workload for the next two years until the start of construction on blocks of the new Type 45 destroyer.

"The flexibility and efficiency of this VT design will enable the Navy to replace its five current patrol vessels with the three River Class for duties such as fishery protection. In addition, there are already signs of strong interest in the design from overseas."

The River Class will be nearly 80 metres long, will have a 1,700 tonnes deep displacement and will have a speed of 16.5 knots. They will have a complement of about 30 and additional accommodation for a Royal Marines Commandos boarding party. They will also be equipped with rigid inflatable boats built by VT subsidiary Halmatic for more detailed inspection duties. Other VT equipment includes a comprehensive control and monitoring system.

The export version is equipped with all the features necessary to carry out effective EEZ management, including the ability to accommodate facilities to assist civilian authorities in case of natural disaster.

In addition, the design has the flexibility to increase the overall length by means of a midship section to accommodate additional crew, facilities and/or equipment. By making special provision to put the ship's propulsion and electrical machinery aft and all the normal crew accommodation in the forward section, this can be done without any significant re-design.

To address cost effectiveness further, measures have been taken to simplify construction, facilitating in-country build for those countries with either an established or developing shipbuilding capability.

In operational terms, one of the major innovations is a large working cargo deck that permits users to equip the ship with specific facilities for a particular role, including disaster relief, anti-pollution, firefighting, rescue work or interception. A heavy crane with capacity for 25 tonnes is therefore fitted to handle standard containers.

This working deck is also large enough to transport smaller craft such as oil spill recovery tractors, the Halmatic VSV (for special forces), an LCVP (for transhipment of cargo inland by river) and a variety of wheeled and tracked light vehicles.

The baseline vessel includes a flight deck for land based small/medium helicopters and aviation facilities can be enhanced to handle larger helicopters or to provide storage and maintenance facilities for helicopters.

VT Director of Export Ship Sales, Jon Beadon, adds: "The commitment of the Royal Navy to this new Class of offshore patrol vessel has increased the interest from overseas. The flexibility of this design means that we can tailor it to the requirements of individual users whilst still ensuring that it is affordable."

REF XQQEE XQQSA XQQTY