JFD wins NATO submarine rescue system contract
The five-year contract includes options through to 2023 and encompasses all aspects of operation and through-life-support.
JFD is a long-established operator of submarine rescue systems and has been an integral part of the UK’s submarine rescue provision since 1983. The company has been at the heart of NSRS since it came into service in 2008 as both operator and equipment manufacturer.
The service will be managed by JFD’s Submarine Escape and Rescue team in parallel with existing similar services for Australia and Singapore. Engineering and technical support will be provided by JFD’s Engineering Support Cell. Opportunities exist for shared training, cross-fertilisation of expertise, and commonality of approaches, which will serve to benefit the entire global submarine community. The existing Faslane-based team will augment the current JFD team, further bolstering its ability to deliver world class support to all of its customers.
JFD has a long term engagement with BMT Isis to set new standards in safety and environmental management. As part of this commitment, BMT Isis will undertake a safety governance role and the NSRS will be operated in accordance with JFD’s global Safety Management System. The National Hyperbaric Centre, recently acquired by JFD, will provide training course accreditation.
Mike Howarth, Managing Director of JFD, said: “It is a source of great pride that the Participant Nations of the United Kingdom, France and Norway have entrusted the management of the NSRS to JFD. The contract recognises our unwavering commitment to the safety of submariners, and the diligence with which we deliver our existing services in Australia and Singapore.”
Cdr Dickie Randall, NSRS Programme Manager, on behalf of the NSRS Participant Nations, said: “It is vital to the safety of submariners worldwide that the NSRS remains a fully-capable service delivered by skilled and experienced personnel. It is absolutely critical that we have a submarine rescue service that is not just fit-for-purpose, but also world class in its capabilities. We have been well supported in the assistance NSRS has received from industry since its inception in 2004 and a continued association with the proven capability of JFD bodes well for the future.”
Mike Howarth added: “The decision to award the contract to JFD is testament to the breadth and depth of expertise within our global Submarine Escape and Rescue Team, and the scalability of our operations and support infrastructure.”
