Awarded 21 September 2026
CEFAS26-78 RfQ for the provision of a marine environmental survey vessel
CEFAS
Vessel charter tenders and contracts
UK public sector, covering 600+ buyer sites
54 contracts awarded in the 24 months to 12 October 2026
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Updated 12 October 2026 · compiled by BidSkim Limited · How we count
Vessel charter contracts ,
54 contracts across the UK, of any size
Recently awarded
The latest vessel charter contracts awarded
Awarded 18 September 2026
Research Vessel Charter - Antarctic
University of Plymouth
Awarded 16 September 2026
UKRI-6324 Use of GSGSSI Fisheries Protection Vessel
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)
Awarded 4 September 2026
701554521 - FIMS Extension UK5
Defence Equipment and Support · South West
Awarded 3 September 2026
CEFAS26-75 ITT for provision of pelagic trawler vessel for the IESNS survey
CEFAS
Who wins · 24 months to October 2026
Briggs Marine Contractors Limited won the most vessel charter contracts
Foreland Shipping Limited won the most by value. Each dot is one contract, coloured by who bought it.
CouncilsSchools and collegesOther public bodies
| Rank | Contractor | Contracts won, by buyer | Contracts | Value won | Buyers | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Briggs Marine Contractors Limited East of England · See every contract | 6 | £26m | 4 | ||
| 2 | Serco South East · See every contract | 4 | £271m | 1 | ||
| 3joint | Aeolian Offshore Ltd SME · See every contract | 2 | £60.5m | 1 | ||
| 3joint | Severn Sea Shipping Co Ltd London · SME · See every contract | 2 | £7.5m | 1 | ||
| 3joint | Evening Star FR LLP East of England · SME · See every contract | 2 | £467k | 1 | ||
| 3joint | JEVINGTON LOGISTICS Scotland · SME · See every contract | 2 | £126k | 1 | ||
| 3joint | University of Gothenburg South West · See every contract | 2 | £120k | 1 | ||
| 3joint | Moray Marine Solutions LTD East of England · See every contract | 2 | £19k | 2 | ||
| 3joint | Green Marine(UK) Ltd | 2 | £14k | 1 | ||
| 10joint | Foreland Shipping Limited SME · See every contract | 1 | £477m | 1 |
28 more vessel charter contractors ranked. See the full ranking →
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Who buys
21 buyers awarded vessel charter contracts
Contracts with a published value in the last 24 months, from the type of buyer to the size of the contract.
7 buyers bought vessel charter more than once in the last 24 months
Each dot is a buyer, by how many vessel charter contracts it awarded in the last 24 months.
See who they are and when they usually buy →
Few and big, or many and small
Each dot is a buyer: how many vessel charter contracts it awarded against what they were worth. The busiest and biggest are named.
CouncilsSchools and collegesOther public bodies
Top buyers by contracts awarded
| Rank | Buyer | Contracts | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CEFAS | 13 | £2.3m |
| 2 | Ministry of Defence | 8 | £926m |
| 3 | UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) | 6 | £26.1m |
| 4 | Home Office | 5 | £63m |
| 5 | Trinity House | 4 | £7.6m |
| 6 | Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult | 2 | £126k |
| 7 | Scottish Government | 2 | £14k |
| 8 | Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | 1 | £12.9m |
| 9 | Environment Agency | 1 | £12.9m |
| 10 | Marine Management Organisation | 1 | £12.8m |
Prices
Half of vessel charter contracts are worth less than £176k
Every contract with a published value, on a log scale, coloured by who bought it.
CouncilsSchools and collegesOther public bodies
The 10 biggest contracts hold 95% of the money
Coloured by who bought it.
- Ministry of DefenceForeland Shipping Limited · 24 Oct 2024
- Ministry of DefenceSerco · 14 May 2025
- Ministry of DefenceSerco · 14 May 2025
- Ministry of DefenceJames Fisher Everard Limited · 18 Nov 2024
- Ministry of DefenceSerco, Briggs Marine Contractors Limited · 14 May 2025
- Ministry of DefenceSerco · 14 May 2025
- Ministry of DefenceFuretank Redery AB · 9 Dec 2024
- Home OfficeAeolian Offshore Ltd · 20 Mar 2026
- Home OfficeAeolian Offshore Ltd · 23 Mar 2026
- UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)Matrix Offshore Services, LLC · 22 Jan 2025
Where and when
The East of England awards the most vessel charter contracts
Contracts by region and by month awarded. Click a region to filter the page.
FewerMore contracts
See the regions as a table
| Region | Contracts | Value |
|---|---|---|
| East of England | 10 | £749k |
| South West | 7 | £5.3m |
| South East | 6 | £171m |
| London | 4 | £17.1m |
| Scotland | 3 | £237k |
| North East | 1 | £330k |
| Wales | 1 | £46k |
| Northern Ireland | 1 | £259k |
| North West | 0 | Not published |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 0 | Not published |
| East Midlands | 0 | Not published |
| West Midlands | 0 | Not published |
Often bought with vessel charter
Related services
Deadlines
Half of vessel charter tenders close within 22 days of being published
Each dot is a vessel charter tender published across the UK in the last 24 months, by how many days it was open. 74% closed within a month. Spot one a week late and 32% of the time to respond has gone.
Hear about new vessel charter tenders the moment they're published →
Key findings
- 22 days
is how long the typical vessel charter tender is open, from publication to deadline.
Median of 23 UK vessel charter tenders published in the last 24 months. - 95%
of the money is in the 10 biggest vessel charter contracts.
Of 50 contracts with a published value. - 41%
of vessel charter contracts are won by SMEs.
As recorded by the buyer, on 39 award notices.
Questions
How many vessel charter contracts does the UK public sector award?
54 in the 24 months to 12 October 2026, from 21 public buyers.
How long are vessel charter tenders open for?
The median vessel charter tender is open for 22 days from publication to deadline.
How much is a typical public sector vessel charter contract worth?
The median is £176k, and 56% are worth less than £250k.
Who wins the most public sector vessel charter contracts?
Briggs Marine Contractors Limited won the most (6). Foreland Shipping Limited won the most by value (£477m).
What is included
Charter of whole vessels with crew or operators, including uncrewed surface vessels, for survey, research and monitoring work or to carry cargo and bulk fuel.
- Survey vessel charter with crew
- Uncrewed surface vessel operation services
- Tanker charter for fuel resupply
- Vessel chartering for large cargo shipments
What is not included
- Part-load freight forwarding (trn.freight.international-freight-forwarding)
- The marine fuel itself (trn.fleet.bulk-fuel-supply)
- Scheduled or subsidised ferry services, including time-chartered ferries (trn.airsea.ferry-and-waterborne-passenger-services)
- Survey analysis and consultancy (csl.design.hydrographic-surveys)
- Buying a vessel (trn.airsea.vessel-supply-and-shipbuilding)