Barrus awarded seven-year contract with MoD

Barrus has been awarded a new seven-year contract with the UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD), ‘for the delivery of engine support to maintain the capability of MoD boats’.

The scope of the contract covers the supply, overhaul, and repair of all outboard engines, Yanmar inboard diesel engines, and related post-design services and in-service support. 

The contract covers support to approximately 1,100 boats within the current MoD in-service fleet for craft under 25 metres, including Inflatables and Rigid Inflatable Boats (RIBs), the Mexeflote landing-raft system powered by the Thrustmaster propulsion unit, workboats, and planned future craft.

“Boats are an essential capability of the UK Armed Forces and are used for many different operations around the world ensuring that our Navy has the reach it needs to protect our interests around the globe,” says James Melia, Project Manager for DE&S Boats Team. “We are committed to ensuring that engines are effectively managed through every stage of their life cycle and our partnership with EP Barrus will provide critical support to this.”

“Our Research & Development Team work closely with the MoD to understand their specific requirements, and, utilising the latest technological advancements deliver engineering solutions that match the demanding operating conditions of their in-service craft,” says Robert Glen, Chairman, E. P. Barrus Ltd. 

Over the seven years, the contract will cover operations in the UK and overseas involving the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, British Army, Ministry of Defence Police, and Cadets.

The contract will support forty jobs within Barrus’s Engineering Centre in Bicester, Oxfordshire, and secure future roles both for young engineering students and the company’s graduate engineering intake programme. In addition, around 80 jobs across the UK supply chain will benefit from the contract over the next seven years.