We’ve been working hard, along with our contractor VolkerStevin, to put the finishing touches to the £30 million worth of infrastructure required to welcome the second ship into its homeport.
And last week we met a significant milestone, with the installation of the 2 Fendered Spacer Units, or FSUs.
The FSUs which each measure 17.6 meters by 18.7 meters, have an important job. They slot into the jetty and move up and down with the tide to prevent the ship’s overhanging flight deck from colliding with the jetty.
The structures are identical to those which were installed on the Princess Royal Jetty for HMS Queen Elizabeth, however this time they have been constructed by Portsmouth company ML (UK) Ltd, rather than being brought in from overseas. They took 11 months to build and last week were finally put into their final positions at Victory Jetty. It was an exciting day for the programme team as we watched the FSUs being craned from ML (UK) Ltd’s yard into the water at Portsmouth Harbour. Once they were in the water, final trim checks were carried out and the ballast weights moved to ensure that they were floating level. The units were then towed to their new locations on the jetty face.
This was a real team effort and it was fantastic to be able to support a local Portsmouth company like ML (UK) Ltd through our supply chain, we are not only providing a boost to the base but also to the local economy!
This has been a challenging but rewarding project to be part of and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to deliver infrastructure for such a crucial asset. We are proud to be playing our part to support future Naval capability.
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