Babcock has begun a seven month docking period for the UK Royal Navy’s only ocean survey vessel, HMS Scott (H131), as part of through life support (TLS) programme.
Earlier this year, the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has awarded a contract to Babcock to provide through-life engineering support for HMS Scott, with the option to extend for a further five years.
Under the contract, Babcock will also provide fleet time maintenance, design services and spares management.
Babcock HMS Scott’s project manager, Mo Morey, said the company, as an integral part of the Scott support team, will deliver HMS Scott safely, on-schedule and at optimum value for money.
"We have taken a proactive approach, utilising our fleet time experience of the platform and undertaking extensive surveys of the vessel prior to the refit period to understand her material state and identify and mitigate downstream risks to the project," Morey said.
A number of upgrades and improvements will be made to HMS Scott including installing a new sewage treatment plant and two new lifeboat davits, as well as a new uninterrupted power supply to the ship’s sonar suite and quipping new sea chests and strainers to the salt water system.
"We look forward to working closely with the MoD and ship’s staff to ensure successful completion of the first refit of HMS Scott’s through life support arrangements," Morey continued.
As part of the refit programme, Babcock will also conduct deep maintenance, which includes overhaul of over five hundred valves, two diesel engines, various motors, pumps and compressors as well as the rudder, propeller and shaft, to significantly improve sustainability and capability.
DE&S Commercially Supported Shipping’s Capt (RFA) Ian Schumacker said the company will use commercial refit methodology for HMS Scott refit programme, for the first time.
Additional surveys on more than a kilometre of ballast system pipe work as well as a full structural survey will be performed to identify any repair work required.
Image: HMS Scott sails in New York Harbour. Photo: courtesy of David P. Coleman.
