§ Dr. Julian LewisTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the(a) current and (b) projected future strategic sea lift capability of the armed forces. [90102]
§ Mr. IngramCurrently the Ministry of Defence has four Roll-On/Roll-Off vessels available full-time to meet our strategic sealift requirement. It is MOD policy is to charter merchant shipping from the commercial market to meet additional demands. In addition to this capability five Landing Ships Logistic (LSL) provide additional lift capability if not required for amphibious operations.
For the future, with the full introduction of our new strategic sealift service by the summer, we will have six RoRo vessels available at various degrees of readiness. Four of these vessels will be employed by MOD to meet day-to-day requirements with the remaining two vessels at lower states of readiness being available to MOD when operational situations warrant. This capability will also be augmented by four Landing Ship Dock (Auxiliary) (LSD(A)) which again, will be available when not required for amphibious operations. These vessels, which have a significantly enhanced lift capability, will replace current LSLs and are scheduled to come into service from 2004.