PIONEERING work at Rosyth Dockyard to remove radioactive waste and then dismantle an old Royal Navy nuclear sub should be complete by 2026.
Swiftsure is the first vessel being disposed of at the Babcock site and lessons are being learned - and information shared with the USA and France - that should speed up the process for making safe and recycling the remaining boats.
The Submarine Dismantling Project, which has already invested more than £200 million into the dockyard and the wider UK supply chain and sustains more than 500 jobs, will eventually see 27 subs turned into "tin cans and razor blades".
After submitting a series of written questions at Westminster, an update was given to Dunfermline and Dollar MP Graeme Downie last week.
READ MORE: Rosyth submarine dismantling project making good progress
Parliamentary Under-Secretary Luke Pollard MP said: "Swiftsure, the first submarine to be fully disposed of, is being used as a demonstrator to refine the dismantling and recycling processes.
"There will be a continual process of learning as Swiftsure dismantling progresses. This will inform a baseline approach and schedule for all current decommissioned Royal Navy submarines.
"Over 90 per cent of the submarine will be recycled. We are currently working with Babcock in Rosyth to plan for the next two boats in sequence, with a view to being on contract next year."
In a "world first", the project involves the removal of the reactor - the most radioactive part left in the vessel - as well as the steam generators.
Of the 27 nuclear subs to be disposed of, 22 have already left service and seven have been stored at Rosyth for decades.
The remaining 15 are at Devonport, Plymouth.
The UK Government has faced criticism for the time taken to address the nuclear legacy, especially as storage costs are said to be £30m a year.
Dreadnought has been at Rosyth for so long, she arrived in 1980, that most of the low-level radiation has "disappeared naturally".
The project to remove radioactive waste, dismantle and recycle the old subs was finally approved in 2013 and work started at on Swiftsure in 2015.
Local councillors were told, in November 2022, of a UK Government pledge to "de-nuclearise Rosyth" by 2035.
Gordon McAughey, head of internal assurance at Babcock, had added: "Hopefully, by 2026, the skyline change at Rosyth will occur where the first boat will be gone, it will be tin cans and razor blades."
A separate application was previously submitted for a metal waste disposal facility at the corner of Wood Road and Caledonia Road.
Last month the MoD said most of the low-level waste has now been removed from Swiftsure, Resolution, Revenge and Repulse.
READ MORE: Assurances sought that Rosyth's old nuclear subs won't go to Australia
As well as an updated timetable, Mr Downie asked about the impact of the project on the Scottish and UK economies and what skills development was in place to help locals gain employment on the subs work.
Mr Pollard said the MoD regularly discusses the project with the Scottish Government and engages "on a wide range of issues including jobs".
He went on: "The Submarine Dismantling Project currently sustains more than 500 jobs across the defence nuclear enterprise and, so far, has invested upwards of £200m into Babcock International Group's Rosyth Dockyard and the wider UK supply chain.
"It continues to provide a source of highly skilled jobs in Scotland and the rest of the UK."
In response to another question, Mr Pollard said: "The MoD has also engaged with our international allies including the USA and France, sharing information and learning, to aid the acceleration of the UK's dismantling programme."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here