Posted on October 13, 2025
Engineering personnel will be carrying out maintenance at HMNB Portsmouth tomorrow (October 10). AN alert was issued to mariners by the King’s Harbour Master (KHM).
They said Boskalis Westminster Ltd, a Dutch dredging and heavylift company with a base in Segensworth, is completing minor survey works focusing on the North Corner area and the Tidal Basin. The firm specialises in maritime infrastructure projects.
A Royal Navy spokesperson confirmed to The News the nature of the project. “The minor survey work taking place at HMNB Portsmouth on Friday (10 October) is a post-dredge survey,” they said. “These are routine works that are necessary to maintaining an operational Naval Base.”
Is this linked to major upgrades at HMNB Portsmouth? When will this start?
The project is not linked to the major upgrades at the site announced by chancellor Rachel Reeves during her Spring Statement in March. Onlookers will be keeping their eyes peeled for any changes, after the government announced it would be investing an extra £2.2bn into defence over the next year.
Minister of defence procurement, Maria Eagle, previously confirmed that the project would focus on upgrading and refurbishing accommodation, wider estate development, and adding more jetties and berths. Named Project Bentham, the focus will be on modernising HMNB Portsmouth and protecting the site from rising sea levels.
The hope is the investment will improve ship availability and operational readiness. Captain of HMNB Portsmouth, Lee McLocklan, previously described it as a “bright opportunity”.
He added: “What we’ve had from the government and ministers is that commitment and it’s exactly where we need to be. The Naval Base Commander is absolutely clear in terms of regenerating and making sure that this naval base is state-of-the-art, and is able to sustain another 100 years, as we’ve done for hundreds of years before that.
“The personnel are looking forward to that, and they’ll start to see that slowly. They will see disruption, but what we’ll see is what’s new come online, and the capabilities will increase. That is what’s going to make a difference.”
