The UK’s future Type 26 frigates are being manufactured by BAE Systems’ site in Govan, Scotland, but also incorporate blocks built from across the country.

The Type 26 programme will deliver a total of eight anti-submarine warfare frigates to the Royal Navy, which will replace, in part, the ageing Type 23 fleet.

Expected to displace around 7,000 tonnes at full load, the Type 26 will be comparable in size to the Type 45 air defence destroyers currently in service.

The industrial effort to manufacture the vessels, with BAE Systems acting as prime, incorporates defence and maritime companies from across the UK. In November 2022 the UK government awarded a £4.2bn contract for the manufacture and delivery of five Type 26 frigates, which followed an earlier £3.7bn deal in 2017 for the build of the first three ships in class.

To this end, BAE Systems has outsourced steelwork fabrication for a limited number of units to support delivery of the Type 26 frigate.

According to a BAE Systems spokesperson UK shipyards A&P Group Limited and Ferguson Marine (Port Glasgow) Limited have been contracted to supply a total of seven units.

Sites such as A&P Tyne and Cammell Laird Shiprepairers & Shipbuilders Limited have contributed to UK shipbuilding over the past decade, including the manufacture of 23 large upper blocks for the Royal Navy’s Queen Elizabeth-class carriers, and lower block units currently in production on the Tyne and the Wirral for the Type 26 programme.

In May Ferguson Marine Engineering stated that it had begun manufacture at its Port Glasgow site of the first of three units to be built for HMS Belfast, the third Type 26 frigate currently being constructed.

The phase of work involves fabricating three steel units which, when completed later in 2023, will be transported to BAE Systems’ Govan site ready for assembly as part of HMS Belfast.

The steel cut ceremony for the fourth City-class frigate, HMS Birmingham, took place in April. The first-in-class HMS Glasgow is currently docked at Scotstoun where outfitting continues ahead of delivery “in the mid-2020s”, while construction of HMS Cardiff, HMS Belfast and HMS Birmingham is in progress.

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The Nautical Archaeology Society (NAS) is delighted to announce that Peter Green has joined the Board of Trustees, bringing his unique depth of experience of the maritime world and its key industries to enhance our planning and strategy going forward.

We are pleased to announce the further strengthening of our SME Maritime Working Group with the appointment of three new sector champions .

Low Emission Marine Fuel from Waste Plastics, Clean Planet Oceans, Ultra-Clean Marine, Decrease Harmful Emissions, Reduce Sulphur Pollution, Net-Zero Carbon Emissions, Reduces CO2e Emissions

What could be better than getting money off, member discounts, freebies, V.I.P access and free coffee? Having a smart little card to show…of course.

Freshly minted Members Privilege cards are yours for the asking as long as you are a registered member of Blue Prime; and why wouldn’t you be? National Maritime have the largest SME Maritime Network in the UK, and to be a member of Blue Prime, means you can access all the free benefits you get with it.

So, if you’re a Maritime SME get registered, and if you are one of the many that already are, get in touch, we will send you the card and you can start using it. It can be used to access our member discounts and offers and you can use it when you come into our Maritime Hub in Dartford to book a meeting pod with free parking, free Wi-Fi and a free coffee included. Soon we will be ‘actually meeting’ and organising physical events again which includes bringing back our popular networking breakfasts and even more popular ‘Pitch & Pitcher’ evenings.

To register for Blue Prime membership and qualify for the members privilege card, go to:

Blue Prime – National Maritime (nmdg.co.uk)

We can’t always meet in person but we can always form a virtual connection, which is almost as good and you don’t need to iron a shirt.

To that aim, National Maritime have created a brand-new Facebook Group, where our Blue Prime members can interact with each other; post ideas, news, collaborations, new innovations, questions and concerns. This forum will support business and develop relationships that will make progress happen. We need input from our SME’s to Inform the SME Maritime Working Group about the key issues that affect the sector, in order to progress concerns and offer solutions at a governmental level. We want to create a fertile ground for business to grow; it’s all done here.

If you are a SME that works in or with the Maritime industry and you source, service or produce in the UK you can register to Blue Prime and become a member of the UK’s Largest SME Maritime Network and enjoy all the free benefits that entails, one of which is access to this new online forum.

We are a community of UK Maritime SMEs, enjoying access to services and content for free. We believe in making it easier for companies to access the right business support and advice, which is why we operate a ‘Pay as you Go’ membership service, providing a more value-added solution than the traditional trade association membership model. We do not ask you to pay membership fees, only pay when you require our services.

FREE BENEFITS:

• Company listing on Blue Prime, the online directory for UK maritime SME
• Exclusive access to our Blue Prime on-line networking group
• Authorised use of official UK quality marks and National Maritime logos
• Receive ‘Maritime Connection’, our bi-monthly e-newsletter sent to your in-box
• Access to the National Maritime SME Working v
• One hour business advice clinic with a Maritime Enterprise Development Mentor
• Book lounge areas & business pods for meetings at any Blue Space maritime hub with free Wi-Fi
• Discounts on meeting and training room hire at any Blue Space maritime hub
• Invitations to National Maritime member-only events
• Entitlement to member offers and discounts on networking events, goods and services
• Receive a Blue Prime Privilege Card to help access all member offers
• First to hear about and book National Maritime’s local and international events

Simply upload your business, promote your services & offer a reward that appeals to your customers. Make the maritime connection and start doing business today.

Blue Prime – National Maritime (nmdg.co.uk)

On 10^th May 2020 the Government began to outline its plan to enable certain sectors to return to work.

Whilst employees who can operate from home are being advised to continue to do so, official guidance on the government’s plans for returning to the workplace continue to emerge, and I urge you to ensure you keep up to date with the governments guidance.

1. Planning

Communication is key, and you should be consulting with your staff about returning to work.  If you have trade union, employee and health and safety representatives then you need to be including them. 

If you do have trade union or employee representatives, please check any agreements you have in place with them to see if you should be formally consulting.

Whilst employees and workers should be ready to return to work at short notice, you should be flexible where possible.

• Making the workplace safe

As an employer you must make the workplace as safe as possible for employees, contractors, customers and everyone who needs to visits.  Wherever possible encourage employees to work from home and ensure you follow the government guidelines on working safely during coronavirus on GOV.UK

Risk assessments should be carried out to identify what might cause harm, and reasonable steps taken to prevent them from happening.  The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) have a great managing risks and risk assessment at work section on their website, along with working safely during coronavirus from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) at find coronavirus advise on the HSE website

• Discuss plans with your employees

It is important to make sure you talk to your employees as soon as possible with regards to returning to work, and your conversations should include:

• when employees might return to the workplace
• how they will travel to and from work
• how health and safety is being reviewed, managed and the latest risk assessment findings and actions
• any planned adjustments to be made to the workplace, e.g. phased return to work, staggering start and finish times, floor markings to help people keep 2 metres apart
• working from home arrangements

It is so important not to forget any changes that might affect an employee’s employment contract needs to be consulted with them.

• If someone does not want to return

You may find some people are anxious about safety and going back to the workplace, and it is important to encourage them to talk to you about any concerns and try to resolve them together.

Some people may feel they do not want to return to work or they may be unable to return yet, for example, they may be:

• worried about catching coronavirus
• they may be at high risk of getting a severe illness if they catch coronavirus
• caring for children
• living with someone who is shielding

As an employer you need to listen to any concerns your staff may have and take steps to ensure you protect everyone, this may be

• offering extra car parking so employees do not have to use public transport
• keeping someone on furlough if they are temporarily unable to work
• temporarily changing hours of work to avoid peak travel time

If after reviewing any reasonable adjustments the employee still does not want to return to work, you may want to consider letting them book annual leave or unpaid leave.

If someone is refusing to return to work without a valid reason, this could result in disciplinary action and your disciplinary policy and procedure needs to be followed.

S Potter Talent Ltd is an award-winning consultancy offering bespoke apprenticeship scheme management, human resources and learning & development strategies for business.

Contact details:

Mobile phone – 07486 073844

Email – info@spottertalent.com

Website – www.spottertalent.com

The leading offshore wind clusters of the North Sea Region have joined forces to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in engaging in innovative cross-border collaboration and business opportunities. The offshore wind industry (OWI) is an important driver of economic development in the North Sea Region (NSR) but is challenged by the need for further cost reductions, continuous innovation, and improved acceptance of the industry. In order to secure growth in the OWI around the North Sea Region, (SMEs need to play a key role in tackling those challenges. Inn2POWER offers targeted support measures to SMEs and supports collaboration at the regional, sectoral, and transnational levels.

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British shipyard Cammell Laird announce ambitious plans to disrupt the new-build ferry market with a new specially designed Ro-Pax ferry. Releasing a sneak picture preview of the commercial sensitive design ahead of a formal launch later this year Cammell Laird’s project director Andy Askham said the company believes its innovative, environmentally ground-breaking design will prove attractive to an ‘underserved market’. “The ferry industry is crying out for innovation and green-friendly solutions,” he said. “Our new Ro-Pax design will be in the segment of the market where there’ll be a lot of demand for the next decade. From our discussions with various owners we have seen real interest in our design that thrusts environmental innovation, fuel efficiency and comfort to the forefront of the future ferry market. The global ferry fleet is aging and in need of replacing while ferry building supply, certainly at a sophisticated level, is stretched in Europe in terms of spare capacity.”

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