UNIONS have condemned the cost of flying senior naval staff to South Korea to dedicate a new class of ships for the Royal Navy that were built abroad rather than in the UK.

Parliamentary questions have revealed each trip for two people to attend the ceremony at the Daewoo yard cost £5,500. With four ships dedicated the total bill is more than £20,000.

The Ministry of Defence sparked widespread anger in 2012 when it placed the £450 million deal to build four Tide Class tankers to fuel Navy ships while at sea to Daewoo, despite a consortium of shipyards in the UK, including the Clyde, also bidding.

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Unions and politicians are angry at the cost of the dedication ceremonies and are demanding an up-coming £1billion contract for three similar ships is kept in the UK to preserve jobs on the Clyde.

It comes as a new class of ships for the Navy to support Britain’s aircraft carriers could be built outside the UK as the Ministry of Defence seeks savings in its under-pressure budget.

There are increasing fears three “fleet solid support” vessels to provide ammunition, equipment and food for the new Queen Elizabeth- class carriers will be built abroad.

Plans for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) ships were confirmed in the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR).

But, rather than guarantee building the 35,000-tonne ships in British yards, experts and unions fear the estimated £1bn contract will be open to bidders from around the world.

This would see the work likely to be sent overseas as foreign companies offer a cheaper deal than UK shipyards.

Gary Cook, GMB union organiser and chairman of the confederation of shipbuilding unions, said: “It was irritating to shipyard workers at the time that these ships went overseas to be built and the cost of these ceremonies will irritate the entire workforce further.

“The three new vessels are 30,000 tonnes each and the aircraft carriers were only 40,000 tonnes, so they would be transformational for shipyard communities across the UK that are crying out for the work.

“Government has got to consider if building the ships abroad is the best value for the taxpayer. It might have a lower headline price but what about the jobs and skills being preserved.”

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West Dunbartonshire MP Martin Docherty-Hughes, who uncovered the costs in a number of parliamentary questions, added: “These are ships that could be built in Scotland, either on the Clyde or at Rosyth.

“The success of the Carrier Alliance showed how multiple yards can work together on large contracts like this, preserving the skills of a dedicated workforce.

“What is missing from the MoD’s calculation is any concept of taxpayer value, as investments in procurement in this county trickle down through the economy instead of disappearing to Korea.

“This example of flying patrons out at great expense to the public purse only underlines how we need to build the next generation of Fleet Solid Support ships in Scotland – I can even recommend some excellent hotels in my own constituency for future patrons when they come.”

Defence analysts estimated the total cost of building the vessels ships was £1bn, but said although final fitting out with military equipment could be done in the UK, this would only represent a fraction of the total.

Britain’s policy is to build warships in the UK, an issue which hit the headlines ahead of the Scottish independence vote, with then defence secretary Philip Hammond saying the MoD would only buy warships that were built within the country’s borders.

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However, because the support ships are part of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, whether they are counted as warships is a grey area, with the RFA fleet manned by civilians, although the ships are owned by the MoD.

An MoD spokesman said: “All complex warships are built in the UK. There will be an international competition to build the solid support supply ships, which UK firms will be able to enter, with a sep- arate UK-only competition for customisation work and trials. This approach ensures the best value for money for taxpayers.”