The Point-class sealift ships are the result of the Strategic Defence Review and are designed by Houlder Ltd for the strategic transport of military cargoes and vehicles in times of need. The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has purchased a 22-year charter from Foreland Shipping (previously named AWSR Shipping), who own, operate and crew the ships, utilising them as merchant vessels when they are not required for military service. The small British crews are provided by Foreland Shipping and are required to be sponsored reserves as a condition of service, which means they can be called up to become part of the Armed Forces in times of crisis. The benefits of this is that it guarantees crews in times of crisis, it means crew members can be expected to work under the Armed Forces Act 2006 rather than the Merchant Navy Code of Conduct, and that they would be classed as combatants and be afforded the rights granted under the Geneva Convention.
Of the six ships, MV Longstone and Beachy Head were on charter to the civilian company Transfennica operating a RoRo cargo ferry service in the Baltic Sea, connecting Hanko in Finland and Lübeck in Germany. Most recently they have been operating on the Immingham to Cuxhaven route for DFDS. Other ships have also been involved in commercial activity with other companies and other militaries. All ships are available to the MoD at very short notice if required. The first four ships have been kept almost constantly busy on MoD duties since the build-up to the Iraq invasion in 2003, but MV Longstone and Beachy Head have seen little MoD service and were sold in 2013 as a result of budget cuts.
Operational history
MV Hartland Point carrying military equipment during Cougar 12
MV Hartland Point was part of the COUGAR 12 deployment under the Commander Amphibious Task Group and also active in operations off the Cornish coast in 2012.[3][4] MV Hurst Point made a port call at Gibraltar in August 2013 and was part of the next year's COUGAR 13 deployment.[5][6]Hartland Point recently worked with the Royal Navy and French Navy on Operation Corsica Lion 2015.[7] MV Hurst Point has been used to replenish the Falkland Islands garrison.[8] As of 2021, a Point-class vessel was reported to call at the British military port in the islands (Mare Harbour) about once every six weeks.[9]
PFI status
According to a Defence Select Committee report released in 2007, "Four of the Ro-Ro ships are permanently contracted to the MoD with the other two at notice for MoD tasking. For the two ships at notice, one can be accessed in 20 days and the other in 30 days."[10]
In the Autumn 2011, it was stated that the two ships at short notice would be released from the PFI, leaving four ships available for use by the MoD.[11] The ships released were the MV Beachy Head and the MV Longstone, and the RMT union was informed that these vessels would be laid up or sold.[12] As of 2023, the former Longstone had been renamed New Amsterdam and was sailing as a Netherlands-flagged vessel,[13] while former Beachy Head had been renamed Williamsborg and was sailing under the Maltese flag.[14]
The contract for the Ministry of Defence to use the remaining vessels expires in 2024. In October 2021 the MoD issued a Request for Information (RFI) for an “interim” Strategic Sealift capability to begin in January 2025. This interim capability could see the MoD continue with the current vessels until the end of the decade or it may involve another commercial option. As mid-2023, no decision had yet been taken on whether or how the current vessels may be replaced.[15]
