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Workers at the UK's Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) have publicly criticized the Royal Navy for using an aircraft carrier to refuel a warship.

Maritime unions said it was 'ominous' that the recent supply of marine fuel to the Portsmouth frigate HMS St Albans was carried out by the HMS Ark Royal when the job is normally done by the RFA flotilla.

They fear the bunkering operation may be a sign of things to come and a pointer to privatization in the near future with the RFA fleet being sold to cut costs.

RFA staff and unions said the move is a result of the £200m cuts in the UK defence budget called for in Parliament's pre-budget report and are worried that the supply exercise was a demonstration of the navy's ability to replenish ships without the RFA.

Briefings to RFA staff over the past few weeks also appeared to confirm that Treasury demands for a cut in the Ministry of Defence (MoD) budget have forced the possible shake-up.

Commenting on the issue, Rail Maritime and Transport (RMT) union spokesman Geoff Martin said 'The display of a warship-to-warship replenishment is very ominous as the service faces this uncertainty.'

The RMT promised to fight any decision to sell off the RFA, which currently has 16 ships supplying fuel, food and ammunition to the naval fleet.

RMT general secretary Bob Crow said “RMT will mobilise a political and public campaign on a massive scale to fight off any moves to privatise the RFA.

“There is no doubt there will be an angry backlash against any attempt to compromise national security by embarking on a cash-led sell-off of this essential lifeline to our naval crews all around the globe."

A Royal Navy spokesman in Portsmouth said: 'The replenishment was purely an exercise and has no bearing on the review of the RFA, which aims to deliver value for money.'

An MoD spokesman said: “The MoD is working with the Treasury to look at ways we can improve efficiency across defence. We are considering a number of options how we achieve this and trade unions are fully engaged in the process. No decision has yet been made.”