RFA In General

[Pelican]

Carrier Strike Group reliant on foreign support ships at sea amid staffing crisis
A Norwegian vessel is currently assisting Britain’s aircraft carrier, HMS Prince of Wales
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/1 ... -staffing/

[Pelican]

In dire straits – the RFA in crisis

Since its creation in 1905, the RFA has played a vital role in supporting the Royal Navy globally, a role that has adapted and changed over time to include support for allied countries.

Today, the RFA provides logistical support by various means and also undertakes tasks that traditionally might have been assigned to an OPV, frigate, or destroyer.

Very often overlooked by the public and politicians, the Royal Fleet Auxiliary provides critical logistical support to the Royal Navy and our allies, anywhere, anytime.

Continues https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/in-dire ... in-crisis/

[Pelican]

Navy Lookout
@nautilusint video:
What's next for officers taking industrial action at the Royal Fleet Auxiliary?
As the negotiations continue and members are balloted on continuing the strikes, is the government prepared to make a serious pay offer to redress the years of austerity?
https://youtube.com/watch?v=GirD2588LKk

[Pelican]

Royal Navy leadership making every effort to resolve dispute over RFA pay and conditions

While the main attention has been focused on the core issue of pay for Royal Fleet Auxiliary sailors, the long-running dispute between the Maritime Trade Unions (MTUs) and the MoD is more complex than has been presented in the media.


RN and RFA leaders have been working hard for some time on project RESURGENT – a package of measures to improve the conditions of service (the ‘offer’) to RFA Sailors. There have been a series of meetings with the MTUs which have been described as positive but the stumbling block remains pay.

To some extent, the Navy’s hands are tied because RFA sailor’s pay is determined within Civil Service frameworks. This is outside the budgetary control of the RN and any change has to be agreed by the Treasury. The MTUs are also keen to re-open the 2023-24 pay deal but the new government has a strict policy of keeping to the agreements for that financial year made by the previous administration.

The discussions between the MTUs and MoD are supposed to be confidential but details of the most recent meeting were leaked. For 2024-25 the MoD offered a 9.35% increase, which translates on average to an extra £3,639 per year for each sailor. This is 5% above that offered to the wider Civil Service but is expected to be rejected by the MTUs. Some union representatives say that the RFA needs a major pay increase between 30-36% to make up for the effects of inflation and the real-terms decline in the value of pay since 2010. This is wildly optimistic and a survey by the Nautilus Union suggests most members would accept around 15%.

Broadly speaking, the MTU’s agree that the remuneration offer needs to be mostly based on consolidated pay (ie annual salary, not one-off lump sums). For the future of the Service, it is important that the gap is closed between commercial shipping and the RFA to make the offer competitive again. There also needs to be a plan of action for the future to restore the RFA back to its required strength.

Continues https://www.navylookout.com/royal-navy- ... onditions/

[Pelican]

Navy Lookout
The latest RFA pay offer has been summarily rejected by the Maritime Trade Unions nautilusint & RMT union.
Anger is palpable and further industrial action is likely.
Unions still want 2023-4 settlement addressed but Govt refusing.
The latest offer part funded by giving up leave vouchers plus bonus only if the RFA met certain targets.

[Pelican]

The RFA: The civilian support fleet without which the Royal Navy would be sunk

Any reduction in the RFA would cripple the Royal Navy's global defence capability, argues defence and security blogger Pinstriped Line.

Most members of the public are probably unaware that one of the most critical parts of UK defence is a small organisation of civil servant merchant mariners operating a fleet of 13 ships, supporting the Royal Navy, Nato and other allies on operations across the globe.

The Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) may be a little-known organisation, but it's vital to much of what the Armed Forces deliver.

It is also an organisation struggling to retain staff and, in turn, keep its ships at sea, while a series of strikes as part of a long-running dispute over pay continue to cause challenges.

Continues https://www.forcesnews.com/opinion/rfa- ... ld-be-sunk

[Pelican]

How Cammell Laird shipyard has re-emerged as a critical Royal Navy supplier

Although perhaps now better known for ship repair rather than shipbuilding, Cammell Laird and the wider APCL group is now heavily engaged in building sections for the Dreadnought submarine and Type 26 Frigate programs. Here we look at how this organisation has assumed a vital role in supporting the fleet and become a key enabler in major naval projects.

Cammell Laird in Birkenhead joined forces with A&P Falmouth and A&P Tyne in 2023 to become APCL, the largest commercial ship repairer in the UK. APCL employs over 1,400 people, has 9 operational dry docks, 4 building berths, 3km of wet berths and has supported over 1,000 ships in the past 5 years. A strategy of pursuing both commercial and naval contracts has been successful, a diverse customer base helps ensure a reliable flow of work. Last year, specialist marine painting company Neway Industrial Services, based in the Birkenhead yard also became part of the APCL group.

Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships are maintained through the 10-year in-service support contracts by CL and A&P Falmouth This framework guarantees the yard continuity of work which in turn has supported investment and stability. CL has two cluster contracts – now responsible for the maintenance of the 4 Tide-class tankers, 2 Wave-class tankers, RFA Fort Victoria, RFA Proteus and RFA Stirling Castle. A&P Falmouth looks after the 3 Bay-class landing ships, RFA Argus, the Batch 1 OPVs and HMS Scott.

APCL can also provide support to RFA vessels overseas. In April they managed an assisted maintenance period for RFA Argus at the Larsen & Toubro Kattupalli shipyard in India which involved 150 work items. They also coordinated a self-maintenance period for RFA Lyme Bay, the first time RN/RFA maintenance has been conducted in an Indian shipyard.

CL has started work on the first new Mersey ferry to be built in 60 years. The vessel is designed to mimic the traditional look of the ferries that have plied the river for many decades. Below the waterline, the hull form is a more modern design with diesel-electric propulsion and azimuth thrusters. Parts for HMS Dreadnought are under construction in the adjacent hall but cannot be photographed for obvious reasons (Photo: Navy Lookout).
The CL yard on Merseyside has a shipbuilding heritage that dates back to the 1800s, having built many major warships and submarines for the RN. The original business folded in 1993 after the completion of HMS Unicorn but was subsequently resurrected as a ship repair yard in 2007. Against the odds, the yard also returned to the shipbuilding business, fabricating flight deck units for the QEC aircraft carriers in 2010. Most new build projects have been small ferries but in 2015 CL won the prestigious contract to build the Antarctic support and research ship, RRS Sir David Attenborough.

The complexity of the SDA proved to be very challenging and CL took a substantial financial loss on the project with the ship eventually being sent to Denmark for defect rectification before it was accepted. Survival of the yard has been in doubt at times, but CL’s finances and order book have improved recently. In 2023-24, turnover increased to £146M, compared with £122M the previous year, while profits almost doubled to £6.8M.

CL workforce has also grown substantially, now numbering around 650. Adjacent to the shipyard is the Engineering College, a not-for-profit organisation, part of a national network that trains apprentices in STEM subjects. Around 100 employers send their apprentices to the college, which has around 45 staff. 200 of the 450 trainees at the college are CL apprentices who undergo a 4-year course learning welding, mechanical or electrical engineering while gradually being introduced to working in the yard. Applications to CL for apprenticeships are hugely over-subscribed as it offers a pathway to gain skills that are in great demand while being paid.

Continues https://www.navylookout.com/how-cammell ... -supplier/ LFT