Nicosia, Cyprus. The arrival in Cyprus of the British warship Dragon, scheduled for next week, has been delayed amid staffing restrictions linked to cost cutting by the British defence ministry. The delay is expected to push the ship’s arrival to around two weeks.
Reduced working hours at Portsmouth naval base
Citing the union representing staff at the Portsmouth naval base, the Daily Telegraph reported that workers’ schedules had been reduced to 9am to 5pm on weekdays, with no weekend work, slowing preparation for the vessel’s departure for Cyprus.
The union’s General Secretary Mike Clancy said Dragon could not be made ready any quicker despite staff efforts.
Union cites agreement affecting operations
The unions said the issue stemmed from an agreement between Serco Marine Services and the British Ministry of Defence, which they said prevented 24-hour operations at the naval base and was affecting both preparation of Dragon and its operational functionality.
Ministry rejects claim, cites reconfiguration
British defence ministry official Alistair Carns rejected the union’s claims, saying the delay was due to the vessel needing to be reconfigured before departing for Cyprus.
“What I will say is that the vessel was being fitted out for a different task. We’ve now completely re-rolled it,” Carns said in an interview with Sky News.
Carns said Dragon needed maintenance work, a change of weapon system, and completion of welding, and said the British government was committed “to make sure that as fast as possible we can get that system up and running.”
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