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<p>For the Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPV) currently under construction around 4,000
tonnes of steel is needed in total for the three ships. Dent Steel Services (UK) was
awarded the contract by BAE Systems to source and supply the steel required for the
OPVs.</p><p> </p><p>Around 60 per cent of the total steel required for the OPVs consists
of thin plate (between four and five millimeters ) which can be sourced only from
steel mills capable of rolling the material to that thickness.</p><p> </p><p>UK steel
suppliers were approached by Dent but none were able to meet the thickness specification.
As a result this steel was sourced from overseas suppliers.</p><p> </p><p>Around 60
per cent of the overall requirement was sourced from Sweden; 20 per cent from UK steel
mills; 10 per cent from Spain; and the remaining 10 per cent from Dent's existing
stock, of unknown origin. The use of overseas suppliers was necessary to obtain the
required specification of steel at a competitive price for delivery at the time required.</p>
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