To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the maintenance schedule of the River Class offshore patrol vessels is; and if he will make a statement. (166434)

The three River class vessels are supported under a Contractor Logistic Support contract placed with VT Group plc. Under the contract the three vessels are required to be operationally available for a total of 960 days per annum. Each vessel undergoes two maintenance periods per annum, one of nine days and one of 16 days duration. The work undertaken during these periods is a combination of contractor and ship’s company tasks.