New jackup barge to support maintenance of Royal Navy ships

Netherlands-based Ravestein recently delivered a new self-elevating maintenance barge to the Royal Navy’s base in Portsmouth.

Named Typhoon 3000, the specialist vessel has four moveable legs that can extend to the seabed to allow its large working platform to be lifted out of the water, creating a stable platform from which to carry out repairs and lift up machinery onto the navy’s larger ships.

The navy said the barge’s arrival means that smaller vessels no longer need to go in the naval base’s frigate and destroyer docks during maintenance. This will then free up valuable areas to carry out repairs and speed up the complicated process of keeping ships ready for duty.

The barge will also support engineering work on the two Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers. Its moveable platform is able to lift to access points on the two larger ships.

This capability will reduce the need to turn the ships around while docked in Portsmouth, which is currently done – and is known as “wind ship” – to gain access to the side of the ship facing away from land.