Houlder led the consortium that won the bid to build and operate the six RoRo vessels that make up the Strategic Sealift Service Rapid Reaction Force. In total this delivers 12,000 linear metres of lane length combining regular foreseen routine service with global one off military deployment requirements.  

As well as the specification and design of the vessels, Houlder contributed significant shipping finance expertise to create a unique commercial arrangement. At the time, the agreement involving long term charter was the biggest Private Finance Initiative in the defence sector.

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“The whole team was very impressed at how well Houlder performed on the RoRo project. The Company’s profile within the MoD has been considerably raised and there is a recognition that the ships would not have been built without Houlder.”                      

N. Richardson , MoD Project Leader