The Point class is a class

Ship class

A ship class is a group of ships of a similar design. This is distinct from a ship-type, which might reflect a similarity of tonnage or intended use. For example, the is a nuclear aircraft carrier of the Nimitz class....

 of six roll-on/roll-off sealift

Sealift

Sealift is a term used predominantly in military logistics and refers to the use of cargo ships for the deployment of military assets, such as weaponry, vehicles, military personnel, and supplies...

 ships procured under a Private Finance Initiative

Private Finance Initiative

The private finance initiative is a way of creating "public–private partnerships" by funding public infrastructure projects with private capital...

 and available for use as naval auxiliaries

Auxiliaries

An auxiliary force is a group affiliated with, but not part of, a military or police organization. In some cases, auxiliaries are armed forces operating in the same manner as regular soldiers...

 to the British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 armed forces

British Armed Forces

The British Armed Forces are the armed forces of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.Also known as Her Majesty's Armed Forces and sometimes legally the Armed Forces of the Crown, the British Armed Forces encompasses three professional uniformed services, the Royal Navy, the...

. They were the result of the Strategic Defence Review

Strategic Defence Review

The Strategic Defence Review was a British policy document produced by the Labour Government that came to power in 1997. Then Secretary of State for Defence, George Robertson, set out the initial defence policy of the new government, with a series of key decisions designed to enhance the United...

 and are designed for the strategic transport of military cargoes and vehicles in times of need. The UK Ministry of Defence

Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)

The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....

 has purchased a 22-year charter from Foreland Shipping (previously named "AWSR Shipping"), who own, operate and crew the ships, utilising them as merchantmen

Cargo ship

A cargo ship or freighter is any sort of ship or vessel that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year; they handle the bulk of international trade...

 when they are not required for military service. The small British crews are provided by Foreland Shipping and are required to be sponsored reserves as a condition of service, which means they can be called up to become part of the Armed Forces in times of crisis. The benefits of this is that it guarantees crews in times of crisis, it means crew members can be expected to work under the Naval Discipline Act

Naval Discipline Act 1957

The Naval Discipline Act 1957 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom governing discipline in the Royal Navy. It governed courts martial and criminal penalties for crimes committed by officers and ratings of the Royal Navy...

 rather than the Merchant Navy Code of Conduct, and that they would be classed as combatants and be afforded the rights granted under the Geneva Convention.

Of the six ships, two were on charter to the civilian company "Transfennica" operating a RoRo cargo ferry service in the Baltic Sea, connecting Hanko in Finland and Lübeck

Lübeck

The Hanseatic City of Lübeck is the second-largest city in Schleswig-Holstein, in northern Germany, and one of the major ports of Germany. It was for several centuries the "capital" of the Hanseatic League and, because of its Brick Gothic architectural heritage, is listed by UNESCO as a World...

 in Germany. As of January 2009, they are now on charter to the civilian company "Finnlines

Finnlines

Finnlines Plc is a Finnish shipping company that operates freight throughout Northern Europe as well as passenger services in the Baltic Sea. In the past, Finnlines has operated ships under the brands Finncarriers, Finnflow Systems, Finnjet Lines, and FG Shipping Oy Ab...

" in the Baltic. Other ships have also been involved in commercial activity with other companies and other militaries. All ships are available to the UK MOD at very short notice if required. The ships have been employed more than was originally anticipated, having been on MoD duties almost constantly since the build-up to the Iraq invasion in 2003.

Four ships were built by the German

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 company Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft

Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft

Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft is a German shipbuilding company located in Flensburg. The company is trading as Flensburger and commonly abbrevated FSG.-History:...

, the balance being built by Harland and Wolff

Harland and Wolff

Harland and Wolff Heavy Industries is a Northern Irish heavy industrial company, specialising in shipbuilding and offshore construction, located in Belfast, Northern Ireland....

 in Belfast

Belfast

Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...

. All are named for British points

Peninsula

A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....

 and headlands

Headlands and bays

Headlands and bays are two related features of the coastal environment.- Geology and geography :Headlands and bays are often found on the same coastline. A bay is surrounded by land on three sides, whereas a headland is surrounded by water on three sides. Headlands are characterized by high,...

. They replaced the Royal Fleet Auxiliaries

Royal Fleet Auxiliary

The Royal Fleet Auxiliary is a civilian-manned fleet owned by the British Ministry of Defence. The RFA enables ships of the United Kingdom Royal Navy to maintain operations around the world. Its primary role is to supply the Royal Navy with fuel, ammunition and supplies, normally by replenishment...

 RFA Sea Centurion

RFA Sea Centurion (A98)

RFA Sea Centurion was a fast sealift ship of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary built for Stena Line by Societa Esercizio Cantieri. She was one of five 2700 lane metre capacity roll-on/roll-off sister ships which were to have been built for Stena Ro-Ro, and one of the last built by SEC at Viareggio...

 and Sea Crusader

RFA Sea Crusader (A96)

RFA Sea Crusader was a fast sealift ship of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. It is described by the RFA as a "Strategic Lift Ro-Ro". It was built by Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Japan and entered service in 1996. In 1998 the charter was extended to cover until its replacement could be brought into service....

in service.

Ships

Name	Builder	Commissioned
MV Hurst Point	Flensburger Schiffbau Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft is a German shipbuilding company located in Flensburg. The company is trading as Flensburger and commonly abbrevated FSG.-History:...	16 August 2002
MV Hartland Point	Harland & Wolff, Belfast Belfast Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...	11 December 2002
MV Eddystone	Flensburger Schiffbau	28 November 2002
MV Anvil Point	Harland & Wolff, Belfast	17 January 2003
MV Longstone	Flensburger Schiffbau	24 April 2003
MV Beachy Head	Flensburger Schiffbau	17 April 2003