Shipyard Chases Orders in 12 Countries

BAE Systems has revealed the company is talking to 12 countries worldwide about the possibility of new orders. BAE's Sea Systems division, which includes the Govan and Scotstoun shipyards in Glasgow, and the Barrow yard in Cumbria, believes the firm has a "real prospect" of landing orders for up to three offshore patrol vessels (OPVs), worth more than £600m, in the next 12 months. This would follow the current contract with Brunei for the three OPVs, thought to be worth about £600m, which was secured in January 1998.

Representatives from one of the countries, believed to be in the Far East, are scheduled to visit Glasgow next week to view the first of a new class of three OPVs built at Scotstoun for the Brunei armed forces, which is at present undergoing sea trials on the Clyde. The third OPV built on the Clyde for Brunei - the 2000-tonne, 95 metre KDB Jerambak, was recently launched. The two Clyde shipyards recently won orders for the first six-ship batch of type-45 destroyers, which are the biggest warships built for the Royal Navy since the second world war.

Both shipyards also brought forward work on two alternative landing ships logistics for the Ministry of Defence.