RFA Tidespring departing South Korea
UK Customisation, Capability Assessment Trials and Support (UKCCATS)
Whilst the four TIDE Class MARS Tankers are being built by DSME, in South Korea, they will be customised in the UK prior to delivery into service with the RFA. The UKCCATS customisation includes the fit of sensitive/classified equipment’s that were excluded from the main build contract such as self‐defensive weapons, ballistic protection and communications systems, along with support to Capability Assessment Trials and provision of In Service Support once accepted into operational service in 2018.
Following a UK only competition, the UKCCATS contract was awarded to A&P Group Limited, Falmouth, on 20 January 2015. Once UKCCATS are complete, a Service of Dedication will be held prior to the delivery of each ship.
RFA Operations
The RFA is deploying ships to a wider range of operational roles than ever before, such as counter‐piracy and constabulary operations. They will operate across the globe from the Tropics to the Arctic individually or seamlessly integrated as part of a Naval Task Group.
The MARS Tankers will play a vital role in maintaining valuable seagoing skills and expertise and in providing the capability delivered by the Royal Navy.
The first of the Tide Class, RFA Tidespring, arrived in Cornwall from South Korea last month for customisation. The 201 metre long, 39,000‐tonne tanker, which can carry up to 19,000 cubic metres of fuel and 1,300 cubic metres of fresh water, will join the RFA, a civilian‐manned fleet which provides support for warships, helping the Royal Navy to maintain its operations 24/7, 365 days a year, around the world.
Society of Maritime Industries Annual Review 2017
The customisation work is helping to support around 300 jobs at A&P Falmouth. The UK work content in the wider Tide Class programme is worth around £150 million, sustaining further jobs at 27 UK‐based companies. Systems to be installed in Falmouth include the communications equipment, self‐defence weapons and armour needed to allow the ship to operate in the most challenging environments. The Tide Class has a flight deck able to accommodate the large Chinook helicopter and offer significant improvements over previous RFA tankers, such as double hulls and greater environmental protection measures. The tankers can travel at speeds in excess of 15 knots and have a range of more than 8,000 nautical miles.
The arrival of the Tide Class is also a significant milestone in the ‘Year of the Navy’, which will see the debut in Portsmouth of the first of the Queen Elizabeth‐Class aircraft carriers, the start of construction for the fleet of new Type 26 Frigates and the opening of the first permanent Royal Navy base east of Suez in more than half a century.
The Minister for Defence Procurement Harriett Baldwin said: “RFA Tidespring’s UK arrival is a key milestone in 2017, the Year of the Royal Navy, which will also see the MOD develop world‐class ships and submarines in support of Britain’s role as a leading naval power. Backed by a rising Defence budget, the delivery of the Tide Class tankers is a crucial element of the Government’s £178 billion plan to ensure our Armed Forces have the equipment they need.”
Vice Admiral Simon Lister, who led procurement of the Tide Class at DE&S, concluded: “The continued successful delivery of the Tide Class programme, stands as a testament to the excellent working relationships which DE&S has built with suppliers in the UK and around the world.”
Commodore Duncan Lamb RFA ACOS AFSUP Commodore Royal Fleet Auxillary
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