'Propulsion defects' plague Royal Navy ice breaker HMS Protector with 'analysis' being done to set future
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A replacement is being eyed up for the stricken ship
Mechanical problems had been plaguing a Royal Navy ship for an extensive period of time before an aborted deployment.
HMS Protector, the British fleet’s only ice breaker, suffered a “double engine defect” while trying to leave UK waters and had to be towed back to base. Engineers have been tasked with trying to diagnose the problem, with assessments being carried out to determine the extent of the damage.
The DNV Ice Class 05 vessel, designed to punch through first year ice up to 20ins thick, was purchased by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) in 2013 for £51m. Now, it’s high expected that she won’t sail again and will be replaced.
She has not been deployed to the South Atlantic and Antarctica since the 2024-25 Antarctic season. Responding to a series of parliamentary written questions, minister of defence readiness and industry Luke Pollard said HMS Protector was unable to sail from Teesside to Devonport under her own power due to “propulsion defects”.
Despite a deployment being planned, she had to be towed back to base for “further technical work” to determine what will happen to her in the future. Mr Pollard said “a period of prolonged essential and mandatory maintenance” meant the ship could not be deployed during the 2025 to 2026 southern summer season”.
A modern replacement vessel has been earmarked in the Defence Investment Plan (Dip), with the mechanical state of HMS Protector still needing to be analysed. “The Ministry of Defence has undertaken work to assess HMS Protector’s engines and the steps necessary to recover the platform,” Mr Pollard added. “This is being considered as part of Project Shackleton, which was established at Ministerial direction to review the UK's ice-breaking capability and the renewal of that capability in line with the commitment made in the Defence Investment Plan.”
The Labour MP for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport said the MoD is working at pace “to conduct technical, commercial and delivery analysis to inform decisions on the potential replacement”. A timeline and procurement approach is being developed. Mr Pollard deflected the situation onto the previous Conservative government, when asked about the procurement process by Tory MP Ben Obese-Jecty.
“The previous Government's plan was for HMS Protector to remain in service into the late 2030s and did not provide for a replacement vessel,” he added. “We judged this approach to be unsustainable and therefore allocated funding within the Defence Investment Plan to deliver a successor capability.”
The politician said decisions will be taken once various work under Project Shackleton has concluded.