THOUSANDS of jobs have today been secured after the Ministry of Defence announced a multi-million pound contract for Hampshire's naval base.
The MoD has awarded £600m to BAE Systems to manage Portsmouth Naval Base as part of the five-year deal, which defence secretary Michael Fallon said was the second biggest defence contract placed by the Government.
More than 2,000 jobs have been secured by the move, which will also support half of the Royal Navy's surface fleet on UK and global operations.
The annoucnement came this morning - 11 months after the shock news that shipbuilding would move from the county.
The Maritime Support Delivery Framework deal will run until 2019 and provides a partnering agreement between BAE Systems, the Royal Navy and the MoD.
Commodore Jeremy Rigby, commander of Portsmouth Naval Base, said: ““The contract will keep the base running at the highest standards and will ensure ourships are in the best possible condition and operating at the highest capability.
“It has sustained more than 2,000 jobs at the base and many more in the supply chain.
“This announcement comes at an exciting time for Portsmouth Naval Base as we prepare for the arrival of the Royal Navy's two new aircraft carriers - HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales.”
In November last year BAE announced that shipbuilding would cease in Hampshire, with the loss of nearly 1,000 jobs.
A large number of the staff employed at the Portsmouth base were fromSouthampton, having moved there when Vosper Thornycroft closed its operations in Woolston.
John Hudson, managing director of Maritime at BAE Systems, said: “This contract is an excellent example of our continued commitment to work collaboratively with the Royal Navy to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of operations at our Portsmouth business.
“This is an exciting time for everyone at the naval base.
“Working together, we will prepare the naval base for the arrival of the UK's Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers and continue to use our ship design and build knowledge to support the surface fleet in service.”
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