Minister checks progress of £2m mine hunter deal

DEFENCE minister Philip Dunne has visited Merseyside-based ship engine specialist James Troop & Co  to view progress of a £2m deal to replace the generator sets on seven Royal Navy mine hunters.

Dunne, the Minister of State for Defence Procurement at the Ministry, met with staff across James Troop, one of the shipping industry’s most established companies.

He heard how James Troop is finishing the first phase of the contract to supply Volvo Penta engines and generators for the Royal Navy’s Sandown-class mine hunters, HMS Bangor, HMS Ramsey, HMS Pembroke, HMS Penzance, HMS Shoreham, HMS Blyth and HMS Grimsby.

The work has taken place at bases in the UK and the Gulf.  With the generators now in place on all seven ships James Troop will focus on training naval personnel on engine maintenance as well as providing on-going technical and spare parts support.

Dunne said: “The £2 million contract for marine generators for the Royal Navy’s mine hunters has enabled this family-run British company to sustain important and highly skilled UK jobs at their base in Merseyside.

“We recognise that the UK’s defence contractors, whatever their size, are a vital source of innovation in our supply chain, and in the last year, the MOD has done business with over 5,400 Small and Medium Enterprises, worth over £800m.

“As one of the shipping industry’s oldest companies, James Troop has a proven track record of flexibility which is helping to ensure the UK Armed Forces deploy with some of the very best kit available.”  

James Troop operations director Robert Pollock said the firm was able to show Dunne the level of support and expertise James Troop is offering the Royal Navy.

“We worked extremely hard in the tendering process to show the depth of our experience, the calibre of our engines and the world-class skills of our engineers,” he said.

In total, James Troop, one of the major Volvo Penta Centres in the UK, was tasked with supplying 25 engines and generators – three sets for each navy vessel, one for training and three on stand-by.

James Troop managing director and chairman Bob Troop said: “It was a real morale boost for our team to receive a visit from the minister after we have all put so much time and effort into this contract.”