Photograph credit Navy Lookout
Serco, the provider of services and support to governments internationally, has been awarded a contract to provide ship support services for the Royal Navy’s XV PATRICK BLACKETT. The contract commences on 1 April 2025 and is for an initial period of two years with options to extend it for up to a further three years and is valued at up to £6.6m for the five years.
Under the contract, Serco will provide technical management services as well as ad-hoc work required by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) such as physical maintenance, bespoke capability enhancements and the development of design feasibility studies.
Commenting on the award, Doug Umbers, Managing Director of Serco’s Defence business, said: “We are excited that we have been given this opportunity to support the Royal Navy’s unique trials ship, the XV Patrick Blackett. The contract gives us the opportunity to demonstrate our commitment to developing our maintain, repair and overhaul specialist maritime services.
“XV Patrick Blackett optimises the Royal Navy’s focus on agility and innovation, and we are proud to have been chosen to provide our engineering and technical expertise to ensure the vessel’s maximum availability and utilisation and to support the Royal Navy’s force generation and capability development.”
NavyX’s 270-tonne unique trials ship, XV (eXperimental Vessel) Patrick Blackett, which bears the name of the former Royal Navy Officer and Nobel Prize Winner Patrick Blackett, is paving the way for advanced experimentation, innovation, and future capabilities within the Royal Navy, and ensuring that the UK stays at the leading edge of naval warfare.