UK orders three floating docks for Faslane to be built by British shipyards

# What happened Faslane (HM Naval Base Clyde) will be constructed by British shipyards. Chancellor John Healey announced a UK-only procurement for three floating docks as part of Programme Euston. The docks are intended to support maintenance, inspections, repairs and upgrades for current and future nuclear submarine classes.

# Why the decision was made The government frames the move as a way to keep sensitive defence work onshore, preserve sovereign industrial capability, and support high-skilled maritime jobs. The Ministry of Defence's Defence Investment Plan indicated three docks and supporting infrastructure would be acquired for Faslane as part of a broader programme of upgrades. Officials say the docks will enable critical work on submarines that cannot be carried out exclusively at fixed dry docks.

# Project scope and timing

• Number of docks: three floating docks for HM Naval Base Clyde.
• Programme name: Programme Euston.
• Expected service entry: early 2030s (projects were first outlined in 2023).

# Procurement approach and industry impact The tender will be restricted to UK shipyards. The stated aims are: keeping work that involves national security in the UK, supporting domestic shipbuilding capacity, and sustaining shipbuilding jobs and engineering skills. Industry players with UK yards, such as Navantia UK (which operates sites in Methil, Fife and Belfast), have been mentioned in coverage as active bidders, though the final contract award process will follow the UK-only competition.

# Political and budgetary context The announcement was made at a period of emphasis on defence spending as an industrial policy tool. The government has linked defence procurement to a wider ambition to increase defence spending to 3% of GDP by 2030. Defence Secretary Wes Streeting framed these investments as a way for defence spending to create jobs and to support UK industry, saying Programme Euston will modernise Faslane while backing British shipyards, workers and engineering.

# Related projects Alongside the floating docks, the chancellor announced funding for a marine research vessel to be built in the UK and to enter service in the early 2030s. That vessel will replace the current research ship and support scientific work in UK waters, including fisheries research. The docks and research vessel were presented as linked efforts to use defence and maritime procurement to drive domestic industrial activity.

# Immediate implications The UK-only procurement restricts competition to domestic yards, concentrating strategic submarine-support capability and associated work in Britain. The projects will require specialised naval engineering and contribute multi-year workloads for shipyards, supply chains and skilled labour while aligning with planned MoD facility upgrades.

# What to watch next

• The formal tender documents and contract timeline for Programme Euston.
• Which UK shipyards submit bids and any announced preferred bidders.
• Detailed cost and schedule confirmation after contract award and the sequencing of dock deliveries and infrastructure works at Faslane.