Uk Tanker Fleet Project Treads Water As Budset Reductions Bite

摘要

The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) is expected to defer plans to acquire new Fleet Tanker vessels for up to three years as officials reassess the requirement in the wake of budget reductions.rnBVT Surface Fleet (UK), Fincant-ieri (Italy), Hyundai Heavy Industries (South Korea) and Navantia (Spain) were in 2008 shortlisted for the construction of up to six tankers to enter service with the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) from 2013. A contract award was planned for mid-2009.rnOriginally budgeted at GBP800 million (USD1.146 billion), the tanker procurement forms the first phase of the UK's Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability (MARS) programme. Later phases of MARS project the acquisition of two Fleet Support Ships and three Joint Sea-Based Logistic vessels.