MoD: Ageing and shrinking Royal Fleet Auxiliary fleet causing problems for sealift and Royal Navy, report says

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An “ageing” and shrinking Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) fleet is causing major problems for UK capabilities, a research paper has said.

The Council for Geostrategy has analysed the sealift shortcomings currently impacting the Royal Navy, the Ministry of Defence (MoD), and some of its operations. Sealift involves large-scale transportation of troops, supplies, and equipment by sea.

RFA vessels are tasked with supporting navy ships on forward deployments to extend operations and reduce the number of fuel stops they require. Equipment such as fuel, munitions, spare parts and other supplies are transported and brought onto warships through Replenishment at Sea exercises and other drills.

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An "aging" and struggling Royal Fleet Auxiliary is causing sealift capability problems for the Royal Navy and UK, a research paper has said. Pictured: RFA Tidesurge mains a constant distance from HMS Prince of Wales as fuel is pumped across.An "aging" and struggling Royal Fleet Auxiliary is causing sealift capability problems for the Royal Navy and UK, a research paper has said. Pictured: RFA Tidesurge mains a constant distance from HMS Prince of Wales as fuel is pumped across.
An "aging" and struggling Royal Fleet Auxiliary is causing sealift capability problems for the Royal Navy and UK, a research paper has said. Pictured: RFA Tidesurge mains a constant distance from HMS Prince of Wales as fuel is pumped across. | Royal Navy

In the research paper titled Sealift: Commercial shipping’s potential in military logistics, author Charlotte Kleberg highlighted how important sealift is to the nation’s security strategy. She said: “The UK’s ability to maintain a global presence and respond at the ‘speed of relevance’ in distant and increasingly contested environments depends on a sufficient strategic lift and logistical support capacity.

“Because military equipment, personnel, and supplies are primarily transported by sea, the ongoing Strategic Defence Review should make logistics, sealift, and sustainment of forces, one of its key issues.” The associate fellow added: “A robust logistical support capacity, swift transport of troops and equipment, and timely reinforcements are essential for conducting a wide range of operations both within Europe and beyond.”

The research analysed that a “limited and aging government-controlled sealift capacity” and “declining British-registered merchant fleet” could “jeopardise force sustainment amid rising operational demands”, while also highlighting the problems being experienced in the RFA. “The RFA is facing several challenges alongside increasing demands. These include, but are not limited to, recruitment and retention, an ageing and inadequate fleet, and budgetary constraints to fleet modernisation - with half of its fleet being lost since 2003.”

Officers and sailors that are part of the Nautilus International and RMT unions have been in ongoing pay talks with the MoD, with no imminent solution expected. An original 4.5 per cent pay offer was pushed through, leaving personnel angry as they’re seen their pay plummet by 36 per cent in real terms since 2010, union officials previously said. Industrial action has been called as a result, with striking workers citing poor pay, low morale, staff shortages and equipment cuts among the many reasons behind the strikes.

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Martyn Gray, director of organising at Nautilus International, claimed personnel were being “harassed” into returning from deployment early to plug gaps in the system, with people “driving themselves into illness” as a result. A 6.5 per cent pay offer from the MoD in November was considered “derisory”, The UK Defence Journal stated at the time that the RFA was unable to use half its fleet due to staff shortages.

A significant proportion of the RFA fleet is considered unusable due to a lack of personnel to man the ships. Pictured: RFA Tidespring replenishing HMS Prince of Wales.A significant proportion of the RFA fleet is considered unusable due to a lack of personnel to man the ships. Pictured: RFA Tidespring replenishing HMS Prince of Wales.
A significant proportion of the RFA fleet is considered unusable due to a lack of personnel to man the ships. Pictured: RFA Tidespring replenishing HMS Prince of Wales. | Royal Navy

Ms Kleberg said if the Ministry of Defence (MoD) carried out a strategic assessment of fleet requirements to understand what the capacity needs are, what vessel types and tonnage is available, and how it should be prioritised to meet such need, they could solve their problems with sealift capabilities. “To secure capacity quickly, a readily accessible reserve of British-flagged commercial partner vessels is essential,” she added.

Ms Kleberg said other possible solutions include co-ordinating joint military, naval and commercial maritime defence planning to secure ship capacity, and military logistics units incorporating commercial vessels in exercises to simulate real-world operations.

She added: “Increasing operational demands are strained by sustainment and sealift limitations, including RFA shortcomings, an ageing sealift-dedicated fleet, a declining British-flagged fleet, long lead times, and budget constraints. Commercial solutions should not be viewed as a substitute for investing in and maintaining a government-controlled sealift capacity and well-balanced fleet of purpose-built RFA vessels, but as a complementary resource to the government when demand for transport increases rapidly.”

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Lord Vernon Coaker, Labour, previously said: “The RFA are highly valued, specialist personnel. We are committed to listening to their concerns and keeping a continued dialogue to address the issues they have raised.”

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