At 1300 CET today, Bristow Netherlands BV took over provision of SAR for KustwachtNederland . The contract, announced earlier this year, is due to run for 10 years. Under the terms of the contract two SAR bases at Den Header and Midden Zeeland will each be home to an SAR configured AW189s will provide all-weather 24/7 cover. In addition to the two aircraft tasked Bristow will also supply back up aircraft to ensure service continuity.
Besides responding to emergencies, the new SAR teams, who are tasked by the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Den Helder, are also trained and prepared to support the Netherlands Coastguard with other duties, such as the aftermath of disasters, incidents, and transporting the Maritime Incident Response Group (MIRG).
Commenting on the commencement of the service Alan Corbett, Bristow Senior Vice President for Europe, Africa, Middle East, Asia & Australia and Search and Rescue said: “Today marks an important moment for all of us at Bristow. It’s a huge honor to be chosen to deliver this critical lifesaving service as we draw on our unmatched experience of delivering SAR for governments around the world,Bristow has a long history of operations in the Netherlands. In addition to bringing industry-leading skills, technologies, and innovation, we are also proud to re-establish our Target Zero safety culture in the Netherlands, which underpins our entire operations with each decision we make.”
