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80,000 tonnes of steel ordered for new aircraft carriers

4 Mar 08

Contracts for the supply of 65 million pounds worth of steel, for the construction of the Royal Navy's two new aircraft carriers have been announced today, Tuesday 4 March 2008, by Minister for Defence Equipment and Support Baroness Taylor.

Artist's impression of the Future Carrier
[Picture: MOD]

The supply of over 80,000 tonnes of steel from Corus for the manufacture of the two ships, with an estimated value of £65 million, is the same amount required for Heathrow Airport's Terminal 5 and three times that for Wembley Stadium.

Baroness Taylor also announced today another £8 million worth of contracts for other equipment to be used in the ships. These are:

• The supply of Blown Fibre Optic Cable Plant (BFOCP) technology for the installation of optical cables for data transfer within the ships at a cost in excess of £3 million;
• Reverse osmosis equipment which will produce over 500 tonnes of fresh water daily for up to 1,450 personnel onboard the ships, valued at over £1 million; and
• Aviation fuel systems equipment to allow the fuelling and de-fuelling of embarked aircraft at a contract value of approximately £4 million.

Baroness Taylor, said:

"Today's announcement is a further signal of our commitment to the new aircraft carriers, which will be the nation's flagships. The construction of the carriers is good for British industry overall, bringing work not only to our principal shipyards but, as these contracts for over £70 million show, to other industries across the UK."

Project Team Leader, Rear Admiral Bob Love said:

"We are delighted with the reaction we have had from industry in terms of their keenness to support this significant project. These orders take us further along the path to commencing build work within the yards."

Contracts for supply of steel plates and bulb flats have been awarded to Corus (with UK sites in Scunthorpe, Teesside and Motherwell) and Dent Steel Services (Yorkshire) Ltd. The vast majority of steel tonnage (90% or more) will be produced in the UK with some smaller quantities being produced in Europe. Dent Steel Services will be providing warehousing, as well as shot-blasting and painting services.

A contract for the supply of Blown Fibre Optic Cable Plant (BFOCP) technology has been awarded to Brand-Rex Limited based at Glenrothes, Fife, Scotland. Brand-Rex has chosen to work with long standing partner, Alfred-McAlpine - IT Services, based in Glasgow, who will provide project management and installation services.

A contract for the supply of reverse osmosis equipment has been awarded to Salt Separation Services with the work being carried out in Rochdale, Lancashire.

A contract for the supply of Aviation Fuel Systems Equipment has been awarded to Fluid Transfer International with the work being carried out in Nailsworth, Gloucestershire.

Artist's impression of the Future Carrier
[Picture: MOD]

The Future Carrier Project

The UK is procuring two new Aircraft Carriers for the Royal Navy - HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince Of Wales. The carriers will be the biggest and most powerful surface warships ever constructed for the Royal Navy and will deliver an increased strategic effect and influence around the world.

The ships will be delivered by the Aircraft Carrier Alliance (ACA) - an innovative alliance comprising industry participants and MOD - in which MOD acts as both client and participant. For the manufacture phase the industrial participants will be: the BAES/VT planned Joint Venture, Thales, Babcock and BAES (Surface Ships & Insyte).

Facts and Figures:

• The carrier will be similar size and weight as the ocean liner the QE2
• The CVF weighs more than 32,500 average family cars.
• Diesel generators that provide electricity and propulsion to CVF weigh up to 220 tonnes apiece, producing a total power output of 108MW - the equivalent of the power needed to run a town the size of Swindon.
• CVF will carry over 8,600 tonnes of fuel to support the Ship and her aircraft - enough for the average family car to travel to the moon and back twelve times.
• The ships can carry more than 1,000 tonnes of food - enough to feed the crew for six weeks.
• The flight deck area is nearly 13,000m2 - the equivalent of 49 tennis courts or three football pitches.
• The hangar is 29,000m3 - equivalent to 12 Olympic swimming pools.
• The crew will have a range of recreational activities, when not on duty, such as film shows, fitness training, weight training and gym work, available 24-hours-a-day. As is currently the case in the fleet, all personnel have access to e-mail and the Internet, subject to satellite communications equipment not being used for operational purposes.
• CVF will produce over 150 tonnes of fresh water daily.
• Designing and building the ships is expected to sustain and create some 10,000 jobs across the UK throughout its design and manufacture. At the peak of assembly, over a thousand personnel are expected to be engaged on CVF at each of the yards at Govan, Barrow, Rosyth and Portsmouth.

The CVF dimensions are:

• 65,000 tonnes at full displacement
• 284m (931ft) length x 73m (239ft) width at flightdeck level.
• 56m from keel to masthead - 6m taller than Nelson's Column.
• 11m max draft (keel to waterline)
• Nine decks deep + Flight Deck
• 40 aircraft