UK and Netherlands to build eight amphibious ships in £2.4bn programme

The United Kingdom and the Netherlands have confirmed that they will jointly procure new amphibious transport ships in a programme worth £2.4bn, with each nation operating four vessels. The decision, trailed in a recent defence investment plan and detailed to coincide with a NATO summit, will see the British ships built in the UK drawing on Dutch naval design expertise.

The ships are expected to measure 160 metres in length and displace around 15,000 tonnes, and are officially designated amphibious transport ships in line with Dutch naming. The programme replaces earlier and larger ambitions that were pared back under budget pressure, and the design is intended to support smaller, more agile marine units conducting dispersed operations rather than the large-scale assault landings of an earlier era. Generous command, medical, aviation and mission spaces are also intended to make the ships suitable for disaster relief, evacuation and humanitarian missions.

The partnership marks a notable revival of naval cooperation between the two countries after an earlier common concept was reported to have stalled over differing national requirements. Both governments have now agreed on a shared platform while allowing each navy to fit some national equipment, an approach expected to reduce cost and improve interoperability. To meet the targeted average cost per ship, tight specification discipline and economies of scale will be important. Procurement and delivery arrangements have yet to be finalised, and ministers have committed only to the ships entering service at some point in the 2030s.