Serco has secured three contracts, collectively valued at more than £1bn ($1.33bn), from the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD), to provide maritime services in support of the Royal Navy.
Scheduled to commence later in 2025, the contracts are intended to replace existing services and introduce new capabilities.
Go deeper with GlobalData
With nearly three decades of partnership with the Royal Navy, Serco has been supporting military training, testing maritime technology, and managing ship movements in and out of harbours.
The largest of the three contracts is worth approximately £850m and has a period of more than ten years. It covers in-port services for HM Naval Base Devonport in Plymouth, HM Naval Base Portsmouth, and the Clyde, including HMNB Faslane.
As part of this contract, 24 new vessels will be procured on behalf of the Royal Navy to replace older models. These vessels are planned to be commissioned over the next decade.
The services will include vessel towage, passenger transfer, as well as barge and tank cleaning operations at Portsmouth and Devonport.
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalDataUnder a second contract, valued at around £70m over five years, Serco will provide inshore support for military training and exercises at the British Underwater Test and Evaluation Centre (BUTEC) off the northwest coast of Scotland. It also includes diver training support.
The agreement introduces new responsibilities for Range Safety and Aircrew Training, which Serco will carry out in collaboration with Briggs Marine.
The third contract, estimated at £110m over ten years, provides offshore support for military training and exercises. This will involve the use of two specialised ocean-going vessels to deliver regional and global support.
Serco group chief executive Anthony Kirby said: “We are proud to have been awarded these three contracts and to have the privilege of continuing to provide critical operational services to the Royal Navy. These awards further strengthen our position in the defence market, where we provide deep expertise around the world.
“We have been performing these duties to an extremely high standard for the last 28 years and we now have the opportunity to modernise the fleet of support vessels to ensure that the Navy has the support it requires, day in, day out, to enable it to keep our waters safe.”
In 2024, Serco secured an extension to its contract to deliver engineering and airfield support to the Royal Navy’s helicopter fleet.
This extension ensures continued service delivery until 31 March 2026, following the original award in July 2020.
