Nocturnal 
Three new floating dry docks worth £6bn are set to be built entirely by British shipyards, the chancellor has announced.
John Healey told the Labour Party conference in Liverpool that the docks, needed to maintain the Royal Navy’s nuclear-powered submarine fleet at HM Naval Base Clyde in Faslane, would be reserved for UK-only bidders as part of what he called a “new age of industrialisation.”
He also confirmed £115m of funding to build a new marine research vessel in the UK, replacing the ageing Cefas Endeavour.
What’s being built, and why
The floating docks are being procured under a scheme known as Programme Euston, according to ADS Advance. They’ll provide maintenance, inspection and repair capacity for Britain’s current and future nuclear submarines, including the incoming Dreadnought-class and the new SSN-AUKUS attack subs being developed with the US and Australia.
Unlike a dry dock built into the shoreline, a floating dock can be submerged so a submarine can enter, then raised and drained so engineers can work on the hull out of the water. Crucially, they can also be towed elsewhere if needed.
The last floating dry dock actually built in the UK is thought to be Admiralty Dock 60, dating back to the 1960s, which was based at Faslane until it was sold off for commercial use in the late 1990s. Right now, the base relies on a single “shiplift” — essentially a giant lift that hoists submarines out of the water.
The government hasn’t put a specific price tag on the three docks themselves, but says the wider maritime package announced is worth billions. It sits within a bigger £15.1bn investment in Faslane over the next decade, itself part of a £26bn programme to upgrade the Navy’s three main bases at Clyde, Devonport and Portsmouth.
Who might build it
A UK-only competition will decide the winning shipbuilder. Navantia UK — which owns Harland & Wolff in Belfast plus sites in Fife, the Isle of Lewis and Devon — is widely seen as the frontrunner, having lobbied hard for the contract, per the BBC. The GMB union has previously asked Healey to split the work between Navantia’s Methil and Belfast sites.
Other possible contenders named in the reporting include Cammell Laird on Merseyside, now owned by Balaena, and Babcock, which operates out of Rosyth.
The research ship
Separately, Healey confirmed £115m to build a new fisheries and marine science vessel to replace Cefas Endeavour, operated by the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science and based in Lowestoft, Suffolk.
The current ship was launched in 2002 by the now-nationalised Ferguson shipyard in Port Glasgow and entered service the following year. The BBC reports the same yard could potentially bid to build its replacement.
Where things stand
Speaking to delegates, Healey said: “I want to confirm today that we, this government will commit to £6bn of contracts for our British shipyards. They’ll build the new docks for the submarines that will defend us all for decades to come, built in Britain by British workers because of the decisions of this Labour government.”
The floating docks aren’t expected to enter service until the early 2030s, with the first UK-built SSN-AUKUS submarine planned for the late 2030s. No shipyard has yet been officially confirmed as the winner of either contract.
