[holding answer 29 February 2008]: The Surface Ship Support (SSS) Project is part of the wider Maritime Change Programme (MCP) that aims to deliver an affordable and sustainable maritime enterprise, and is an important element of the Defence Industrial Strategy.
The SSS Project is currently exploring a wide range of support options to deliver sustainable, efficient and affordable support to legacy complex warships. One of these is the formation of an alliance between the MOD and the two major surface ship support contractors (Babcock Marine and Fleet Support Limited). While this approach is currently the leading option, no final decisions have yet been taken.
Under the alliance approach, several batches of upkeep packages have already been successfully agreed by MOD and industry. By giving industry visibility of future plans, it is able to plan ahead and adapt their capabilities to meet future requirements.