New contracts worth £283.5 million to support a fleet of 3,000 defence boats to protect the UK’s waters have been awarded creating 100 skilled jobs at sites around the UK. The new boats will maintain and support smaller vessels used by the Royal Navy, British Army, Royal Fleet Auxiliary, and MoD Police, and will include single‑person watercraft, high‑speed craft, training vessels, and the Royal Navy’s P2000 small warships.
Awarded to
Golden Arrow Marine,
UK Docks,
Griffon Marine Ltd,
Babcock and
Serco following a competitive procurement process, the contracts will run until 2033. More than £250 million of the total value will flow exclusively through UK-based businesses, making defence an engine for growth.
The programme will create apprenticeships, engineering and manufacturing roles in coastal and riverside communities from Scotland to Cornwall. It will directly enable the reopening of docks in Teesside and regeneration of key maritime sites. Activity will be centred on major naval bases at Portsmouth, Devonport and Clyde, with additional work carried out in Gibraltar.
Luke Pollard, Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry, said: “We are backing British businesses, reopening docks and breathing new life into maritime industries that have been the backbone of our coastal towns for generations — proving once again that Defence is an engine for growth. This is defence spending that works hard for the whole country. These contracts will keep our critical boats ready and operational, while putting over 100 skilled jobs into communities - including apprenticeships for people just starting their careers.
The awards are structured to provide support for nine distinct requirements covering capabilities from P2000 to Army boats. Six of these requirements will be covered by three UK SMEs - Golden Arrow Marine, UK Docks and Griffon Marine Ltd - and two will go to Babcock and one to Serco.
Through the Defence Industrial strategy, the MoD is committed to making defence an engine for growth - backing British businesses, creating skilled jobs and strengthening the industrial base that keeps our armed forces operational. These contracts are an example of that in action, ensuring that the investment needed to maintain our Armed Forces’ capability flows into British communities and British businesses.
These contracts are backed by the largest sustained increase in defence spending since the end of the Cold War – hitting 2.6% of GDP from 2027 with £270 billion in this Parliament.