Leading naval support company Fleet Support Limited (FSL) has been downselected by BAE Systems Customer Solutions & Support (CS&S) for the dockyard elements of the programme to modify and regenerate three Royal Navy Type 23 frigates which have been sold to the Chilean Navy.
The ships involved are HMS Norfolk and HMS Marlborough, plus HMS Grafton, which is still in service.
The programme will last for a total of about two years and is due to be completed by the end of 2007 for the scheduled handover of the final ship in 2008.
Much of the work is focused on the ships’ power plants with the diesel engines and gas turbines being removed for extensive scheduled maintenance before being reinstated. There will also be main gearwheel changes on HMS Marlborough and HMS Grafton.
FSL has a wealth of experience in working on Type 23 frigates with two of the ships to be sold to the Chilean Navy based in Portsmouth. The company is also currently working on the RN Type 23 frigate HMS Richmond, the first warship refit to be carried out in Portsmouth for 15 years.
Winning the work on the Chilean frigates follows FSL’s successful completion of a two-ship regeneration programme earlier this year involving former Royal Navy Type 22 frigates which were sold to the Romanian Navy, again under the prime contractorship of BAE Systems CS&S.
FSL Managing Director Ian Booth commented: “We are delighted to be downselected. Our experience in Type 23 work and our recent successful regeneration of two T22s for sale to Romania has enabled us to submit a confident, innovative and competitive tender. We will work with our customers BAE Systems and the MOD to ensure that the Chilean Navy receives ships prepared to a high level of engineering standard ready for operations.”
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