Babcock has started construction of the first of five Royal Navy Type 31 frigates, HMS VENTURER, at its Rosyth facility, the company writes in a press release. After cutting the first steel on the programme in September 2021, the traditional keel laying event formally marked the start of the build. The ceremony took place in the newly built hall. This forms part of a £60 million investment programme, on top of an additional £100 million over the last 10 years. The fully covered hall will house two frigates for uninterrupted, parallel assembly and will support increased productivity gains through improved access to the platforms and digital connectivity.
The event comes just over one month since Babcock secured its second export contract for its ARROWHEAD 140 frigate (the export variant of the UK Type 31 platform) with the company announced as the platform design provider and technology partner for Poland’s MIECZNIK new frigate programme. Babcock had previously secured a design licence agreement with PT PAL Indonesia (Persero) to enable PAL to build two ARROWHEAD 140 frigates in Indonesia with design modifications for the Indonesian Navy.
JH
