UK Border Force: Patrol Craft

(asked on 16th May 2022) - View Source

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the combined value is of contracts awarded by her Department in 2022-23 for repair work designed to ensure that (a) HMC Valiant and (b) CPV Active are able to meet Border Force's operational demands for the next five years.


Answered by
Tom Pursglove Portrait
Tom Pursglove
Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
This question was answered on 19th May 2022

The key next step for the procurement will be the release of a Prior Information Notice (PIN) to commence market engagement. That will enable the development of the commercial and procurement strategies and of estimated timelines for letting a contract. It will also give a good sense of the supplier market hence likely delivery options, challenges, schedules, and operational in-service dates.

The intention is that the new vessels will replace the existing fleet on a one-for-one basis. Specifics of the transition, and associated commissioning and decommissioning activity, will be carefully managed to minimise any risk to operational activity.

This will enable Border Force to continue to tackle key maritime law enforcement and border security priorities.

Any future deployment of maritime capability will be flexible and responsive and will form part of a layered approach to coastal security and law enforcement, ensuring we have an effective capability, which works in partnership with other organisations to respond to current and future threats.

All assets are currently positioned in UK waters and are constantly deployed to protect the UK border as and when needed.

[2422] Border Force conduct a systematic approach to maintenance and repairs to our fleet of five (5) cutters every year and will continue to do so.

NB: HMC Sentinel has been retired.

[2423] Border Force conduct a systematic approach to maintenance and repairs to our fleet of six (6) coastal patrol vessels every year and will continue to do so.

[2421] Annual maintenance to CPV Active has been awarded to a SME supplier in the North West for £58,920.96.

A procurement to acquire the services for a Ships Life Extension Programme (SLEP) to HMC Valiant is currently being undertaken. Therefore, at the time of this question being asked an accurate response to the value of annual maintenance is not provided as the competition has not concluded.

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