Award-winning UK Docks commits to Family Business Pledge
UK DOCKS Marine Services has become one of the first signatories to a national campaign committing family-owned businesses to the highest standards of treatment for their employees.
The company, which has six strategic locations across the UK and supports marine clients globally, has signed the Family Business Pledge - a landmark commitment championed by Family Business United that recognises and celebrates the values at the heart of family enterprise.
The Pledge sets out seven core principles spanning stewardship, people, community, governance, sustainability, heritage and knowledge-sharing.
By signing the Pledge, UK Docks is publicly affirming what has always guided its approach to business - that long-term thinking, integrity and genuine care for people are not a compromise on commercial success but the very foundation of it.
Jonathan Wilson, managing director of UK Docks, said: “We are happy to be among the first to sign the new Pledge because it dovetails with commitments we’ve long held as a business to treat everyone within it with fairness and decency.
“It is great to see this campaign really take off, and if we all pledge to treat staff the way they should be treated, it will be a welcome step forward for both employers and employees, whilst also driving forward business growth.
The Wilson family at last year’s Family Business United awards ceremony
UK Docks Marine Services was founded in 1992 by Harry Wilson MBE on a single slipway on the River Tyne in South Shields.
Since then, it has grown into a company operating nationally and internationally, handling multi-million-pound contracts for clients including the Royal Navy, the Ministry of Defence, global commercial shipping fleets, and recently securing its first international contract with the Bangladeshi government.
Despite that phenomenal growth, though, the company has never lost sight of its family ethos.
Harry’s three sons, Jonathan, Chris and Gary, now manage the day-to-day running of the business as directors, with Harry overseeing as executive chairman, and UK Docks is the largest family-owned marine service and repair business in the country.
And Harry’s grandchildren are already being trained and apprenticed to take over the family business in the next generation.
But the term ‘family’ doesn’t only include the Wilsons at UK Docks, with Jonathan pointing out that that family approach extends to all staff - something which was recognised at last year’s Family Business United’s awards ceremony last year.
The national awards night in London saw UK Docks crowned North of England Family Business of the Year, while also winning the Community Support and Involvement Award and finishing as runner-up in the overall Supreme Champion competition.
Jonathan said: “The company has won many awards over the years but being recognised for our family values and the way we want to treat everyone who works for us and with us, was a particularly proud moment.
“We’re big supporters of the work that Family Business United does, and we see this move to have a Pledge of the standards that family-owned businesses should aspire to as being inspirational and important.
“Hopefully, many, many businesses will sign up the Pledge in the coming weeks and months.”
The seven principles of the Family Business Pledge are:
1. Stewardship over short-termism: Making decisions with the next generation in mind, prioritising long-term health over short-term profit.
2. People before profit: Fostering a people-first culture built on trust, respect and long-term relationships where employees are valued as individuals.
3. Rooted in our community: Actively investing in the communities where the business operates, recognising that its success is inseparable from the wellbeing of those around it.
4. Governance with integrity: Upholding transparent, ethical governance and welcoming accountability at every level.
5. Sustainability for future generations: Taking environmental responsibilities seriously, knowing that the world left behind matters as much as the business.
6. Preserving the founder’s spirit: Honouring the values, purpose and entrepreneurial drive on which the business was founded through every transition and generation.
7. Sharing knowledge, lifting others: Sharing experience and expertise with other family businesses and mentoring the next wave of family entrepreneurs.
Paul Andrews, founder and CEO of Family Business United, said: “We created the Family Business Pledge as a way to further bring family businesses together as a collective voice, to demonstrate their commitment to doing business the right way.
“ The seven core principles reflect the very essence of what family businesses are all about. “This is our latest campaign to celebrate the significant contribution family firms make to economies the world over via the jobs they provide, wealth they create and income they generate, not forgetting the impact they have on the communities in which they operate.
“The Family Business Pledge brings together the principles by which they do business and we are proud to run this campaign and see so many family businesses get behind it.”
Jonathan said: “When the directors saw the Family Business Pledge, we knew it was something we could get behind right away because it summarises our own values and demonstrates that doing business the right way and doing business successfully are one and the same.
“We’d encourage all family-owned businesses to look at the Pledge and consider signing it.”
Find our more about the Pledge at www.familybusinessunited.com.
Gosport’s Victoria Quay receives green light for business expansion
A MODERN new boat maintenance and repair centre to be built on Gosport’s Victoria Quay will allow UK Docks Marine Services to expand its thriving boat maintenance and repair operations and continue the regeneration of the area.
Planning permission for the new boat shed and staff facilities was granted by Gosport Borough Council this month, with directors saying the building will enable their business to continue growing.
The new look and extended Victoria Quay Boat Shed at Gosport
The new facility will provide extra covered operational capacity to the Weevil Lane boatyard at Victoria Quay - a 5.7-acre waterfront site within the former Royal Clarence Yard in Portsmouth Harbour.
The site was purchased from the Ministry of Defence by UK Docks in 2019 and is equipped with a 75-tonne travel hoist, a 50-tonne boat transporter and a 55-tonne mobile crane. Additionally, the yard has over 150 metres of deep-water berthing and more than three acres of hard standing.
The company has already made several improvements and investments at the site, but the new boat shed will increase the covered workspace at Victoria Quay by approximately 1,400m².
The purpose-built facility has been designed by Fareham-based HGP Architects Ltd, who have designed a number of local landmark buildings around Portsmouth Harbour.
The boat shed, though, was essential for UK Docks in the wake of winning £84million in Royal Navy contracts to service the navy’s small boats, with much of the work earmarked for Gosport.
Ben Mason, business development director at UK Docks and Victoria Quay, said: "This planning permission is the next step in the development strategy at Victoria Quay, which supports the growth ambitions at UK Docks and the future for the local area.
UK Docks business development director, Ben Mason, at Victoria Quay om Gosport
"We already have the workshops, lifting capacity, and deep-water access, and a new boat maintenance and repair facility gives us the additional covered space to take on more refits and complex projects here in Gosport.”
Initial work on the new boat shed will start this summer, allowing the existing structure to remain in use whilst building works are completed.
Ben Mason added, “Due to our existing contracts, it's essential we maintain a fully operational boatyard.
“Building the new boat shed and staff facilities is a complex project, and we are running at full capacity currently at Victoria Quay.
“So, the development of this site is essential, allowing us to continue to grow the UK Docks business in Gosport and support the other marine businesses across the site.
“When complete, the building will be an impressive structure, flooded with natural light through the clever use of building materials around the roof structure.
“The large roller shutter doors will allow our mobile hoist to move boats in and out of the new workshop effortlessly - even the Royal Navy’s P2000 boats can be lifted out of the water and moved directly into the workshop in a single operation.”
It is expected that work will be completed by the end of 2027.
The planning approval follows significant recent activity on the same site.
The £22 million transformation of the Grade II-listed former Royal Navy Rum Store at Victoria Quay reached its latest milestone in May 2026 with the completion of enabling works, allowing visible construction to begin.
Enabling works involved making the site safe and accessible, stripping paint from the Victorian walls, clearing vegetation and making the building safe.
Gosport Borough Council secured £11 million from the Government's Local Regeneration Fund in 2023 to support the redevelopment, with UK Docks match-funding the investment. The Grade II listed building, once home to the Royal Navy's entire rum store during the British Empire, is being redeveloped to deliver nearly 7,000 square metres of mixed-use space.
The renovation is led by UK Docks alongside local firm Pritchard Architecture, with support from Gosport Borough Council. The project is expected to create up to 200 jobs and provide a welcome boost to the local economy.
UK Docks is the country's largest independent, family-owned ship repair company and has invested heavily in Victoria Quay since acquiring the site, with regeneration improvements to buildings, infrastructure, and machinery.
The successful Gosport Borough Council-led bid for the 'Reconnecting Historic Gosport Waterfront’ regeneration programme secured funding from the Government's Levelling Up Fund, and when combined with UK Docks' match-funding contribution to The Rum Store, plus this additional investment renewing and expanding the boat shed, represents significant investment in the Victoria Quay site.
Jonathan Wilson, managing director of UK Docks, said: "The planning permission for the new boat shed at Victoria Quay is another sign of our continued investment in Gosport. “Alongside the Rum Store regeneration, which is now underway, this site is becoming a centre for marine services on the south coast.
UK Docks managing director Johnathan Wilson, welcoming the boat shed and facilities extension at Victoria Quay.
Victoria Quay sits opposite His Majesty’s Naval Base, Portsmouth and is perfectly placed to serve the leisure, defence and commercial sectors.”
Full details of the planning application can be viewed on the Gosport Borough Council planning portal with reference 26/00007/FULL.
Former HMS Enterprise embarks on next stage of its working life with UK Docks' support
UK Docks Marine Services has begun regeneration work on the former Royal Navy vessel HMS Enterprise in the wake of its recent journey from Portsmouth Harbour to dry dock on Teesside.
The vessel was a multi-role hydrographic and oceanographic survey vessel that served the Royal Navy with distinction for 20 years.
After being decommissioned in 2023, the ship was sold to the Bangladesh Navy in early 2026 to boost the Asian country’s maritime security, charting capabilities, and oceanographic research.
And a key part of the acquisition was appointing UK Docks not only to service and maintain the vessel once she enters service with the Bangladesh Navy, but also to carry out the alterations and regenerative work that would make her fit for her new role.
As a first step in that process, the ex-HMS Enterprise was moved from the Portsmouth Harbour berth, where it had spent several years, on a journey through the English Channel and North Sea before finally accessing dry dock on Teesside.
The trip and docking went smoothly, and the work has now begun, a complete technical overhaul of the vessel in what is a landmark moment for UK Docks - the first time it has secured a major contract with a navy other than the Royal Navy.
UK Docks managing director, Jonathan Wilson, said: “The fact that this is a capital project for the Bangladesh Government and signed by the equivalent of the first and second Sea Lords of the British Admiralty, shows its importance to Bangladesh and significance to us.“Without doubt, it’s one of the biggest moments in UK Docks’ history, stretching back over 30 years of increasing growth.”
UK Docks’ task will be aided by the fact that the company has previously serviced and maintained HMS Enterprise and her sister ship, HMS Echo, whilst they were in service with the Royal Navy.
Three permanent staff dedicated to programme oversight will be employed by UK Docks, working with three major original equipment manufacturers in Norway.
In addition, there will be 20 new, fixed-term contracts for specialists drawn from across the ship repair and maritime engineering sectors.
This combined approach will ensure both capability and capacity to deliver the regeneration programme to the highest operational and strategic standards.
Jonathan added: “We were among a number of contractors tendering for the work, and I think the fact that we had worked on the vessel over many years and had an excellent track record on it certainly went in our favour.”
Work is commencing on a wide range of upgrades and system refurbishments, including overhauling key propulsion and mechanical systems, modernising hydrographic and oceanographic equipment and restoring onboard data‑collection and sonar capabilities.
The work will support the preparation of the vessel for integration into Bangladesh’s “Forces Goal 2030” modernisation plan
The project brings significant economic and skills benefits to Teesside and the wider North East, strengthening the region’s reputation as a centre of excellence for ship repair, refit and marine engineering.
It also demonstrates the confidence that international partners place in UK Docks for high‑quality, specialist maritime support.
As the regeneration progresses, the vessel will be prepared for her new operational profile in the Bay of Bengal, where she will support maritime security, hydrographic research and environmental monitoring.
Kemi comes to UK Docks Marine Services in Gosport
THE leader of the Conservative party, Kemi Badenoch MP, paid a high-profile visit to UK Docks’ Gosport facility on a fact-finding tour of the company’s marine services and repair work.
Kemi' Badenoch’s visit through the spotlight on UK Docks Marine Services.
His Majesty’s leader of the Government opposition was given a tour of the site by UK Docks’ business development, Ben Mason, along with visiting parliamentarians, Shadow Defence Secretary James Cartlidge and Gosport MP Dame Caroline Dinenage DBE, with former Portsmouth MP Rt Hon Dame Penny Mordaunt and Hampshire & Isle of Wight Police and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones completing the high-powered delegation.
UK Docks’ business development director, Ben Mason, guides Kemi Badenoch around UK Dock's’ Gosport facilities with Dame Caroline Dinenage MP and former MP, Dame Penny Mordaunt, in attendance.
The visit reflected the growing national recognition of UK Docks’ work, its expanding capabilities, and long‑term commitment to supporting the UK’s maritime and defence sectors.
The visit follows a period of significant growth for the company, including the award of an £84 million contract to service Royal Navy vessels earlier this year, which strengthens the role UK Docks plays in maintaining fleet readiness and supporting the wider defence infrastructure.
The visiting group also had the opportunity to experience one of the PAC 24 rigid inflatable boats maintained at the site, part of a wider programme that will see the Gosport facility play a key role in supporting up to 194 Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels in the years ahead.
Kemi and her team got to experience water transport on a Pac 24.
The visit offered an opportunity for UK Docks to showcase the expertise of engineers, technicians and apprentices, whose work underpins the company’s reputation for high‑quality vessel maintenance, repair and engineering services.
The leader of the opposition, Kemi Badenoch MP, learns all about the work of the UK Docks Marine Services team in Gosport.
It also highlighted the economic contribution of the UK Gosport site, which continues to expand its workforce and invest in new capabilities to meet the needs of the UK’s maritime and defence sectors.
And it showed the company’s ongoing commitment to improving and regenerating the key industrial and commercial site.
Media coverage of the visit noted the increasing interest in the company’s role within the region and its growing importance to the Royal Navy’s support network.
The UK Docks Marine Services team at Gosport commemorate the visit of Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch, MP.
UK Docks Marine Services is playing a growing role in the Solent’s maritime landscape, with its Gosport operations complementing wider activity across the south coast at UK Docks’ Mashfords in Cremyll, in Cornwall and its traditional bases in the North East.
The leading politicians’ visit underscored the strategic value of the Solent as a hub for marine engineering, innovation and defence support and UK Docks’ contribution to it.
UK Docks managing director, Jonathan Wilson, said: “As our facilities continue to evolve, we remain committed to investing in modern infrastructure, supporting high‑skilled local employment, delivering reliable, responsive services to the Royal Navy and commercial clients and strengthening partnerships across the region’s maritime community
“We welcome the growing recognition of the work carried out by our teams across the UK. “Visits such as this, and others in the North East, involving interest from the Tees Valley Mayor, Ben Houchen and South Shields MP, Emma Lewell, provide an important platform to demonstrate the scale, capability and professionalism of our operation, highlighting the vital role that marine engineering plays in supporting national resilience and the wider maritime economy.”
Former Rum Store’s regeneration reaches significant milestone
WORK on the former Royal Navy Rum Store at Victoria Quay has reached a landmark moment, with the completion of extensive enabling works that provide the platform for the rest of the development to move at pace.
Inside the Rum Store - now a blank canvas ready for redevelopment to take place.
Now, the early works package on the building is underway.
Enabling works make a construction site safe and accessible, ahead of this new phase, which includes roof and parapet repairs and renewals for the western elevation, as well as the removal of redundant structure from the worst areas of the building.
Scaffolding has now gone up around the exterior of the building.
Readying for the next stage of the Rum Store’s regeneration.
These crucial early-phase tasks allow the main building project to proceed efficiently and safely, and in the ex-Rum Store’s case, that has meant the Victorian walls being stripped of paint and cleaned, vegetation removed and the building made safe.
That transformational work is now underway, much to the satisfaction of UK Docks Marine Services’ business development director, Ben Mason, who said: “A lot of work has gone into the site to get us to this point, although, to the public, not much of it might be obvious.
“Now, the repairs will start to become visible.
Man at work - interior preparations are underway in the ex-Royal Navy Rum Store
“It’s the nature of these projects though, a huge amount of work has to go in, just to get to the starting line, where you begin to see the transformation of the building itself.
“This groundwork is essential in ensuring that what comes next is delivered in the way it should be.”
Gosport Borough Council was awarded £11m from the Government's Local Regeneration Fund in 2023 to renovate the Rum Store building at the former Royal Clarence Yard, and that crucial funding enabled UK Docks to match-fund in the hopes of turning the building into a major asset for the local community.
Work on the £22m transformation began last Autumn with local architects, Pritchard Architecture, having been engaged to lead the ambitious project.
Ultimately, the investment in the historic building, which once housed the Royal Navy’s entire rum store at the height of the British Empire, could create hundreds of jobs and nearly 7,000 sqm of mixed-use space, breathing new life into the area.
The grade II listed building offers impressive views across Portsmouth Harbour and will play a pivotal part in the council’s wider plans to revitalise and reconnect the town and its historic waterfront.
The meticulous redevelopment of the site will also painstakingly safeguard the architectural and historic interest of the listed structure and protect its character and appearance.
All parts of the giant building are now ready for the exciting next stage of the building’s reinvention.
UK Docks’ Ben Mason said: “Working with Gosport Borough Council has given us access to government funding and helped unlock solutions to problems that were bigger than just our site at Victoria Quay, such as local infrastructure.
“The council has big plans for regeneration in the borough and we're delighted to be a partner in that.
“We plan to keep issuing regular updates as work continues on making this area one of the jewels in the crown for Gosport.”
* If you are a marine-based business looking for premises at the Rum Store on its completion, you can register your interest by emailing TheRumStore@victoriaquay.net.
UK Docks signs landmark deal with Bangladesh Navy to regenerate former Royal Navy ship HMS Enterprise
UK Docks Marine Services has signed a major contract with the Bangladesh Navy to help restore and regenerate the Asian country’s newest purchase, the former HMS Enterprise.
The former HMS Enterprise - from her days on active service for the Royal Navy
The first-of-its-kind contract for the company will expand UK Dock's’ international footprint and global reach and see the decommissioned vessel, currently in Portsmouth, towed to Teesside later this month.
Once in dry dock in the North East, it will be brought back to operational readiness over the course of 2026.
UK Docks managing director Jonathan Wilson, said: “This is the first time we’ve worked on a vessel for a navy beyond the UK.
“It’s a completely new development for UK Docks and one we’re looking forward to delivering on.
“It opens up a lot of possibilities for the company.”
UK Docks’ senior management team flew to Bangladesh to sign the former HMS Enterprise Regeneration Contract in Dhaka, alongside the two most senior and high-profile officers in the Bangladesh Navy.
Bangladesh Rear Admiral Md. Safiquer Rahman, assistant chief of Naval Staff (Logistics) signs the landmark agreement with UK Docks MD, Jonathan Wilson.
The multi-million-pound agreement will see initial work on the former HMS Enterprise taking place at a UK Docks’ Teesside facility, which has recently expanded from two to four dry docks.
Jonathan said: “The fact that this is a capital project for the newly-formed Bangladesh Government and that it was signed by the equivalent of the first and second Sea Lords of the British Admiralty, shows its importance to Bangladesh and significance to us.
“Without doubt, it’s one of the biggest moments in UK Docks’ history, stretching back over 30 years of increasing growth.”
Bangladesh Rear Admiral Md. Safiquer Rahman, assistant chief of Naval Staff (Logistics) signs off the landmark agreement with UK Docks MD, Jonathan Wilson.
The contract will see the vessel towed from Portsmouth to Teesside, so work can begin on bringing her back into service. UK Docks’ task will be aided by the fact that the company has previously serviced and maintained HMS Enterprise and her sister ship, HMS Echo, whilst they were in service with the Royal Navy.
UK Docks plans to employ three permanent staff dedicated to programme oversight, working with three major original equipment manufacturers in Norway.
In addition, there will be 20 new, fixed-term contracts for specialists drawn from across the ship repair and maritime engineering sectors. This combined approach will ensure both capability and capacity to deliver the regeneration programme to the highest operational and strategic standards.
Jonathan reflected: “We were among a number of contractors tendering for the work, and I think the fact that we had worked on the vessel over many years and had an excellent track record on it certainly went in our favour.
“There were a lot of discussions over quite a few months but it was clear that the Bangladesh Navy was really keen for us to take on the work, and that helped us reach an agreement pretty quickly in the end.”
Bangladesh's Rear Admiral Mohammad Musa, assistant chief of naval staff, UK Royal Navy defence attache, Commander Lee Norton, Admiral M Nazmul Hassan, chief of naval staff, meet UK Docks' directors.
The work on the former HMS Enterprise represents a comprehensive modernisation effort by the new owners.
The programme will be fully managed and delivered from Teesside - reinforcing the port’s position as a world‑class centre for maritime engineering and ship repair.
The upgrades include, but are not limited to:
Retrofitting advanced propulsion systems from Brunvoll AS, delivering enhanced manoeuvrability, improved efficiency, and operational reliability.
Integration of cutting‑edge hydrographic and maritime technologies from Kongsberg Maritime, strengthening the vessel’s world‑class survey and data‑gathering capability.
Extensive auxiliary and ancillary maintenance across essential onboard systems to ensure long‑term resilience, safety, and mission readiness.
Once work is complete, the 90.5m long, 3,740-tonne vessel will significantly enhance the Bangladesh Navy’s operational capabilities, supporting hydrographic operations, maritime security, and broader sovereign objectives.
For UK Docks, this will continue the relationship with the vessel that began in 2018, when a £150m contract to service and maintain HMS Enterprise, HMS Echo, and HMS Protector was signed.
Launched in 2002 and commissioned by the Royal Navy in 2003, HMS Enterprise was known for its distinguished service in survey operations, humanitarian support, and disaster‑response missions worldwide.
Decommissioned by the Royal Navy in March 2023, the former HMS Enterprise was officially sold to the Bangladesh Navy last month, a move that will boost Bangladesh’s maritime security and regional stability efforts.
UK Docks Marine Services wins £84m contract to service almost 200 Royal Navy boats
UK Docks Marine Services has won contracts worth more than £80m to service and maintain 194 Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels, Vahana workboats and Ministry of Defence police craft - all to be managed from its offices in Victoria Quay, Gosport.
Against fierce competition, the company won three of the nine lots offered in the Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) Boats In Service Support Contract 2026, with all three contracts due to run until 2033
The majority of the work will be carried out at UK Docks' Gosport facilities, although some will take place at UK Docks’ boatyard along the coast at UK Docks Mashfords' in Cremyll, Cornwall.
UK Docks managing director, Jonathan Wilson, said: “It is fantastic news for the company and our staff, who have been building a reputation for successfully servicing Ministry of Defence contracts for a number of years now.
“All three contracts are related to specific classes of MoD boats with specific end users and will provide a sustained demand for our workforce for at least five years, possibly seven.
“They will safeguard existing jobs, create new ones, and ensure an important part of the defence sector benefits UK businesses and organisations.”
From this April, the company will take responsibility for the smooth running of the Pac 22 and 24 fleets, as well as passenger transfer boats fitted to Royal Navy aircraft carriers.
The Pac 24 Rigid inflatable boats are workhorse vessels capable of policing, patrolling, interception and boarding and can be deployed from various Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary platforms, which will be supported globally from Gosport.
Pac 24 vessels being worked on in UK Docks' Gosport facility.
The 109 boats in total are part framework agreement running up to 2033.
The second lot sees UK Docks servicing and maintaining MoD police boats that protect the assets and infrastructure around the UK’s three major naval bases and will also run for seven years.
The vessels are the Police Patrol Craft, Island Class, and Intercept and Escort Craft, as well as other specialist craft, for a total of 49 boats.
An Island Class MoD police boat, one of 49 UK Docks will be servicing and maintaining from April 2026
Again, the vast majority of the work will be carried out at UK Docks’ facilities, in Gosport and Cremyll, both of which are opposite the two southern Naval Bases – HMNB Portsmouth and Plymouth.
At HMNB Clyde, UK Docks will continue its longstanding relationship with Holyhead Marine and a select number of other specialists to provide support in the area.
The third and final contract is to service and maintain the Ministry of Defence’s workboat fleet across the UK and overseas, ensuring the optimum availability, performance and safety of the SEA Class vessels recently introduced into service at MoD sites across the UK.
A Royal Navy Vahana workboat, one of many that will be serviced and maintained by UK Docks.
The Workboat fleet provides Royal Navy training, dive support, and minehunting capabilities for the Ministry of Defence, and UK Docks has held the contract for the past two years.
A total of 36 boats, used at centres such as Britannia Royal Naval College and RN Dive Support Units, will be covered until 2033.
Dive Support Boat Volcano is one of the many vessels being looked after by UK Docks after new contract agreements with the Royal Navy.
The lengthy contract awards are set to benefit businesses and communities mainly on the south coast at Gosport and Plymouth, as well as in the North East, where UK Docks has its headquarters.
They will directly safeguard 42 full-time jobs and create 18 more jobs both in management and in the general workforce
The news comes at the end of a lengthy tendering period during which the Ministry of Defence sought to secure the best possible provider to service and maintain key sections of its fleet of boats.
Jonathan added: “It was a testing and demanding process but it was worth it and congratulations to all involved.
“We’re very proud to be part of a marine industry that has shown that the necessary skills and expertise can be provided by a British company and British workforce, and we’re looking forward to delivering the highest standards of service and maintenance.”
UK Docks will project-manage the full support cycle across all contracts, including maintenance, repairs, upgrades, spares, obsolescence, and configuration control, to maximise vessel availability and ensure the navy can carry out its duties without disruption to its boats.
The new contract caps a positive period of growth for UK Docks, which is reopening two docks on Teesside alongside the two it currently operates, has acquired a five-acre, 82,000 square foot riverside expansion at its South Shields HQ and continues a key partnership with Norwegian company Brunvoll to supply the first thruster equipment to the Government’s Fleet Solid Support contract being delivered by Navantia UK.
UK Docks celebrates young talent in National Apprenticeship Week
THE chance to throw the spotlight on young apprentices during National Apprenticeshp Week was welcomed by UK Docks, which has invested in young marine workers the length and breadth of the country.
In Gosport, we have marine engineer apprentices Finlay Smith (left), currently in Year 2 of his apprenticeship and Charlie Shepherd in Year 1.
At our headquarters in South Shields, Michael Wright, in his fourth year as a maintenance technician, works alongside first-year maintenance technician Sonny Walton (wearing glasses).
Fellow apprentices Ewan Wilson, a third-year maintenance technician and Lewis Illingworth, second-year maintenance technician, are usually based in South Shields but both have been working in the dockyards at UK Docks’ Teesside facility to gain hands-on experience of shipes handled there.
Ewan is pictured here in the dockyard, Lewis in the workshop.
In addition, Nick Elliott is a mature apprentice, Level 7, and Chief Financial Officer, John Armstrong, is looking to bring a trainee into finance.
In this way, a steady stream of apprentices (in an industry which can struggle from skill shortages), are regularly been trained up and moved through the business.
This consistent approach has underpinned UK Docks’ steady growth for many years and is an important part of its planning strategy.
UK Docks’ managing director, Jonathan Wilson, said: “As a family-owned business, apprenticeships is something we genuinely care about.
“The marine industry depends on skilled, practical people — not just today, but for generations to come. “Apprenticeships are one of the most important ways we protect that future.
“They bring fresh thinking, new energy, and a real hunger to learn, while allowing hard-won experience to be passed on properly, on the job.
“At UK Docks, apprentices are part of who we are.
“We invest in people from the very start of their careers and give them the chance to grow, progress, and build long-term futures within the marine sector - many of our most experienced team members started exactly that way.
“Supporting apprentices means supporting the strength, resilience, and sustainability of the UK marine industry as a whole. During National Apprenticeship Week - but also during every week - we’re proud to play our part.”
At Gosport, UK Docks South has Finlay and Charlie doing their apprenticeships through Southampton City College, with another apprentice due to join them in September.
Both are gaining great experience in the workplace and have been rotating their work to gain experience on all the different type of vessels the compnay maintains.
UK Docks South also takes Apprentices from the local college, CEMAST, (Centre of Excellence in Engineering, Manufacturing and Advanced Skills Training).
The company takes marine engineers who are looking to do 50 hours work experience as part of their course.
Currently, there are 10 of these apprentices coming through; to gain the knowledge they need and enable them to complete their course.
Finlay Smith. assisting with a service on a C18 Caterpillar Main Engine on HMS Dasher
Charlie Barley, director at UK Docks South said: “We find this rewarding in that we are helping these young apprentices in our local area gain their qualification.”
He added: “UK Docks South employs around 40 employees and, in turn, employs many marine trades and local sub-contractors, thereby locally supporting dozens of businesses in the local area.
“We are based in Gosport, and opposite the main Naval Port (Portsmouth) where the local area also has thousands of leisure and commercial boats served by its many marinas.
“We understand that in a marine industry area which employs thousands of people and which has a skills shortage in all trades - whether it be marine engineers, marine electricians, shipwrights, carpenters, fabricators, laminators etc - new workers are vital.
“That’s one of the reasons why the company has made a steady stream of apprentices a priority for many years.”
Charlie Shepherd changing a lagging pad on the exhaust of a P2000 (HMS Dasher). The vessel visited UK Docks to undertake her annual Refit Package
UK Docks' Teesside team praised by HMS Protector's Captain Weaver
WARM words were left ringing in the ears of UK Docks workers on Teesside when HMS Protector departed last month after a lengthy stay.
The Royal Navy’s specialist icebreaker entered dry dock in May last year for extensive works, including upgrades during its five-year refit, leaving dry dock in August to moor alongside for final works ahead of its December departure.
Steady as she goes.. HMS Protector leaves UK Docks Marine Services Teesside and prepares to return to sea.
And as she set sail, the ship’s commanding officer, Captain Tom Weaver, AFNI OBE RN, praised the quality of the work and the level of collaboration between UK Docks and the crew, which ensured the vessel returned to sea in the best possible condition.
Captain Weaver said: “As we sail from the Tees, following our five-yearly docking and maintenance period, I would like to thank UK Docks Marine Services for their hard work and support in working alongside the ship's company to return HMS Protector to sea.
“We've achieved a great deal in the last few months and are now ready to commence trials and training ahead of recommencing operations as the Royal Navy's ice patrol ship.”
HMS Protector has been a regular visitor to UK Docks’ Teesside facility in recent years, following the company's 2019 contract to service the vessel.
But the most recent stay has been a long one as the five-year refit with upgrades marked a major boost to the ice patrol ship, which was launched in Norway in 2001.
After leaving Teesside, HMS Protector returned to her home port of Devonport on the south coast for trials ahead of deployment.
As the Royal Navy’s only icebreaker, HMS Protector is also one of the most active vessels in the fleet, spending, on average, 330 days a year patrolling the waters of Antarctica and the southern hemisphere.
The 292ft long, 5,000-ton vessel, which has its own helicopter pad, is primarily used to support scientific and survey research but has also provided fishery patrols and humanitarian and community assistance.
UK Docks managing director, Jonathan Wilson, said: “It’s always a pleasure and a privilege to welcome HMS Protector to Teesside and the team were pleased to be involved in such a thorough overhaul of the vessel.
“The work will ensure HMS Protector is in prime condition to continue her important work for the Royal Navy in frequently challenging environmental conditions.”