Tide-class tanker

The Tide-class tanker are a proposed class of four large fast fleet tankers for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) of the United Kingdom. Originally known under the project name Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability tankers (MARS), they will be tasked with providing fuel, food, fresh water, ammunition and other supplies to Royal Navy vessels around the world. The vessels were ordered on 22 February 2012 in an order worth £452 million. The ships were designed by BMT Defence Services in Bath, England but will be constructed in South Korea and have a projected in-service date of 2016.

Design
The four new vessels will be over 200 metres long and displace more than 37,000 tonnes. Based on BMT Defence Services' 'AEGIR' tanker concept, they are designed from the outset to be more environmentally friendly, producing lower carbon dioxide emissions and being more fuel efficient. They will be among the most environmentally friendly warships ever built. The ships will be double-hulled to prevent or reduce environmental pollution from oil spills if damage is sustained to the outer hull, complying with international regulations and allowing operation around the globe. The four vessels will replace the RFA's three remaining Rover and Leaf class tankers.

Replenishment will be provided from three abeam Replenishment at sea (RAS) stations for diesel oil, aviation fuel and fresh water. The vessels will have a flight deck and will provide a vertical replenishment at sea capability.

Ships of the class
On 13 November 2012 the Royal Fleet Auxiliary named the tankers as the Tide-class and named all four vessels. These are:


 * RFA Tidespring, battle honours in 1982 from Tidespring.
 * RFA Tiderace, after service in the Suez Crisis, the Tiderace was renamed the Tideflow to avoid confusion with another ship name.
 * RFA Tidesurge, originally launched as Tiderange in 1954, she spent many of her early years east of Suez; served until 1976.
 * RFA Tideforce, a new RFA name.