Warships: Iron and Steel
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which new Royal Navy vessels will be manufactured with (a) British-made virgin steel, (b) British-made recycled steel and (c) steel sourced overseas.
Answered by Maria Eagle
Royal Navy vessels use a variety of steel, manufactured and sourced from the UK and overseas. Type 26 and Type 31 frigates, currently under construction, are being manufactured predominantly using steel sourced overseas, as the specification of thin plate steel required for shipbuilding cannot currently be reliably sourced in the UK. The Fleet Solid Support ships programme is still in the design phase and no orders for steel have been placed.
The sourcing of steel used in our shipbuilding programmes is a matter for the prime contractors, who we encourage to source UK steel wherever it is technically and commercially feasible. We are unable to say whether the UK steel content of the ships currently under construction contain British-made virgin or recycled steel, as this information is not held.
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