Royal Navy is so short of ships we're buying them from Norway... for £90million

Résumé détaillé

Eight crewed warships are due to be retired by 2031 - including three mine-hunting Offshore Support Vessels (OSVs).

Published: 23:19 GMT, 12 November 2026 | Updated: 23:19 GMT, 12 November 2026

The Royal Navy is having to shell out £90million for warships from Norway to replace its ageing fleet.

Eight crewed warships are due to be retired by 2031 – including three mine-hunting Offshore Support Vessels (OSVs).

Admirals will now buy three foreign vessels rather than building ships from scratch in British yards, but the first Norwegian OSV will not be delivered for five years.

The blow comes despite Defence Secretary Wes Streeting warning of an increasing Russian threat to the UK, including a 41 per cent increase in naval activity in our economic waters this year.

The Navy's 'fighting fleet' – its frigates and destroyers – has been reduced to just 11 warships, with many of those out of service and requiring long-term maintenance.

The purchase of the Norwegian OSVs and the option to buy three more was unveiled by Mr Streeting at the Atlantic Future Forum aboard HMS Prince of Wales.

The £3.5billion aircraft carrier has docked in Oslo as part of a lengthy deployment to the North Atlantic and the Arctic.

It comes despite a report by the Commons defence committee warning Britain has insufficient ships to defend the region, which could allow Russia to plunder the Arctic for energy resources and to control shipping routes.

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