Rosyth shipyard expected to win 1bn Danish navy contractDouglas FraserBBC Scotland Business and Economy Editor HMS Venturer is the first of five Type 31 frigates being built for the Royal Navy by Babcock at RosythThe shipyard at Rosyth in Fife is expected to win a contract to build four frigates for the Danish navy, worth more than 1billion.The yard, run by British-based defence giant Babcock, is also one of the final two bidders for a Swedish navy contract for up to seven of the same Type 31 ships.Competition for the Swedish contract is with a French shipbuilding firm, which has the vigorous backing of the French government.The contracts have been in discussion for more than a year and decisions are expected within the next six months.The boom in exports, following a contract to build five Type 31 ships for Britain's Royal Navy, marks a rapid turnaround for Scottish shipbuilding.It comes after BAE Systems, which runs military shipyards on the Clyde at Scotstoun and Govan, last week secured a contract to build Type 26 frigates for the Royal Norwegian Navy. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer visited Glasgow on Thursday to mark that success.PA MediaPrime Minister Sir Keir Starmer spoke to ship builders during his visit to BAE Scotstoun shipyard in GlasgowThe smaller, less-sophisticated and much less expensive Type 31 is a "general purpose" fighting ship - also known to the Babcock team selling the design around the world as Arrowhead 1400.
At 455ft (139m) in length and at 5,700 tonnes, it is based on a design already in use with the Danish navy.Each Royal Navy ship is being built at a cost of 250m at the price set in 2019. That has meant a loss for Babcock on the first two ships, but it says it is now bringing costs on the third ship into line with that budget.The first of the Royal Navy's Type 31 ships, to be named HMS Venturer, has already been floated in the Firth of Forth and is in dry dock being fitted out.
Two more are in construction, with all five due to be ready by 2030.PA MediaThe Type 31 frigate is seen as a versatile ship model which is designed to take different weapons systemsNavies in the Nato alliance are preparing for more joint operations to counter Russian threats in the North Atlantic, North Sea and the Baltic. Babcock is selling the Type 31 as a versatile ship to work across different fleets.
It is designed to take different weapons systems of a navy's choosing and to be built on a production line faster and more efficiently than past ships.Babcock's director of the Type 31 programme, former Second Sea Lord in the Royal Navy, Admiral Sir Nick Hine, said the priorities for buying ships has long been "performance, cost and timing" and that has now been reversed."It's the ship that navies need," he said. "It's affordable and adaptable and we can deliver it in ten years.
*Reporting by Bbc.*
