JFD, an underwater capability provider serving the commercial and defense markets and part of James Fisher and Sons, is celebrating the delivery of the first two lifeboats that form part of its new safety-advanced range of self-propelled hyperbaric lifeboats (SPHLs).
In February 2016, JFD won a multi-million-pound contract to design and manufacture six SPHLs, four 18-man and two 24-man vessels, as part of the saturation diving systems on board a new fleet of diving support vessels. Final testing on the first two 18-man SPHLs has now been completed, and they are ready for installation and commissioning following the launching ceremony held on 12 September 2017.
These lifeboats mark the first to be completed as part of a new partnership between JFD and Vanguard to develop a range of next generation SPHLs and integrated davit systems that lead the way in terms of operational safety standards for saturation divers. The partnership combines JFD’s globally trusted chamber manufacture and design expertise with highly respected Singapore-based lifeboat manufacturer, Vanguard.