Faslane dry docks and research ship to be built in UK, says chancellor

The UK chancellor confirmed that orders for three floating dry docks, worth £6bn, to support the Royal Navy’s nuclear submarine fleet at Faslane will go through a UK-based shipbuilder. John Healey said the facilities are vital to national security and will back domestic shipbuilding as part of a “new age of industrialisation.” A UK-only bidding competition will decide the builder, with Navantia UK—owner of sites in Fife and Belfast—seen as a front-runner. Healey also pledged £115m for a new marine research vessel in the UK to replace Cefas Endeavour, operated by Cefas and based in Lowestoft, Suffolk. The docks are part of a broader £15bn Faslane upgrade over the next decade.