Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Work starts on the future of naval support in boost to British jobs, published on 3 December 2025, how many crew will be required to operate RFA Resurgent.

The Fleet Solid Support (FSS) programme cut steel on 3 December 2025, which marks the start of the construction phase for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) ships. The RFA Resurgent was named at the cut steel ceremony.

The core RFA crew is expected to be around 100 in number, with additional military augmentees and specialists embarked for specific tasks and roles.

On the current schedule, RFA Resurgent is expected to enter service in 2031 after extended first of class trials and equipment fits. Following the financial distress of Harland and Wolff and its acquisition by Navantia UK, a substantial amount of work has been done to assess and mitigate the impact on the approved schedule. This is subject to ongoing engagement with the relevant authorities, including Ministerial approvals, and therefore it would be inappropriate to comment further. Updates will be provided through official channels at the appropriate time.