MoD: Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship RFA Cardigan Bay stuck in port as repair work disrupted by striking sailors

As reported in the Daily Telegraph, RFA Cardigan bay has been stuck in the harbour in Portland for three weeks. Workers have been carrying out work-to-rule, with pay negotiations with the Ministry of Defence (MoD) failing to resolve. Union members from Nautilus International and the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) have been in a long-running dispute over pay, while also citing staff shortages and a recruitment crisis as problems plaguing the force.

RFA Cardigan Bay has been deployed around the world for the past two-and-a-half years and is capable of carrying up to 700 soldiers or civilians. The Telegraph reports she is due for a major refit, but little has happened since she returned to Portland in early September. They added that crew members were owed shore leave after spending four months on deployment. Due to them working to rule, they declined to move the vessel 140 nautical miles (160 miles) for repairs and maintenance at the shipyard in Falmouth.

Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) personnel are merchant sailors, but have been asked to support the Royal Navy on forward deployments more in recent years. Nautilus International, who represent roughly 600 officers, have held multiple demonstrations in Portsmouth to voice their concerns. A 4.5 per cent pay rise for the RFA was implemented by the MoD earlier this year.

Mark Carden, assistant national secretary of the RMT union, previously told The News during a strike in September that RFA personnel have seen a “36 per cent drop in pay in real terms over the last decade”. The Southsea native added that sailors are looking elsewhere for roles, where their highly skilled profession feels more valued. “The MoD needs to wake up, smell the coffee, and realise they have a recruitment and retention problem and are losing skilled personnel because of it,” Mr Carden said. “The Royal Navy can’t function without the auxiliary, and it’ll affect the security of the nation and how they can function around the globe. This is affecting everything globally.”

Martyn Gray, director of organising at Nautilus International, previously said the lack of reasonable pay and poor working conditions are causing RFA workers to “leave in their droves” as they’re “overworked, underpaid and undervalued”. He added that personnel on holiday after previously being at sea are being “harassed” into returning to work early to fill in gaps in the workforce, with the RFA having “relied on the goodwill of its staff” for far too long.

RFA Cardigan Bay was deployed to Cyprus in April 2024 to support US Navy personnel in delivering thousands of tonnes of food and humanitarian supplies to Gaza via a floating pier. Her sister ship, RFA Mounts Bay, has taken on the role and is still in the eastern Mediterranean. She can be asked to aid in any potential evacuation of British civilians from Lebanon, with the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah raging. Delays to the refit of RFA Cardigan Bay will impact any potential plans for her to go on forward deployment. RFA Tidespring is back at sea after a period of inactivity in Portland due to a lack of available staff, Navy Lookout reports.

Discussing the strikes, the MoD previously said they are working to minimise the impact of the strikes on the RFA and the Royal Navy, adding that they recognise the importance of working conditions and are working to maintain the RFA as an attractive and effective employer. A spokesperson added: “The Royal Fleet Auxiliary 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.” The MoD added that they are consulting members on a series of new recruitment and retention initiatives and a suite of options to increase the flexibility of work.