Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what bids his Department has received from UK companies for the supply of four large fast fleet tankers for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.

The contract to build four Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability (MARS) Tankers was awarded to Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering in March 2012. Although UK companies participated in the competition to supply the vessels, none submitted a final bid. Following the construction in South Korea, the ships will undergo customisation and trials in the UK, prior to entering service with the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. A competition for this package of work is under way, and is limited to UK companies. An announcement of the results of this competition, and on the contract for the provision of support for the ships, is expected in 2015.

The approved cost for the MARS Tanker project, including the cost of the vessels, and the customisation and trials is £596 million. There are currently no other plans for the procurement of Royal Fleet Auxiliary Tankers.