Release date: 25 September 2017

JFD’s COBRA bailout rebreather passes trials to 450msw enhancing diver safety at extreme depths

JFD, the world-leading submarine rescue and diving equipment company and part of James Fisher and Sons plc, is delighted to confirm that its new COBRA (Compact Bailout Rebreathing Apparatus) system has passed further trials rating it safe for use at depths up to 450msw.

Released earlier this year, COBRA is a new bailout solution designed to replace conventional SCUBA bailout methods, providing divers with a greatly extended supply of breathing gas in the event of a primary supply failure. In July 2017, COBRA was granted CE marking status for use at depths up to 300msw making it the only approved system of its kind to fully comply with NORSOK U101 (Diving Respiratory Equipment) and EN14143 (Self Contained Rebreathing Apparatus) standards at this depth.

The system has recently been subject to further pressure testing and has undergone rigorous assessments which have ensured it is safe for use at depths up to 450msw. This is an huge safety advancement for divers working within the extreme conditions experienced during the world’s deepest diving operations.   

This pioneering technology was developed by JFD in direct response to current equipment performance shortfalls at depths beyond 200msw. At extreme depths, traditional bailout systems offer divers less than three minutes of emergency breathing gas in the event of disconnected from his primary supply. COBRA marks a step change by providing up to 20 minutes at depths of 300msw and up to 10 minutes at depths of 450msw which greatly improves the chances of survival.

Giovanni Corbetta, JFD Managing Director said:

“The intention for COBRA was always to design a system which would not only greatly extend bailout duration for commercial divers working at more common depths of around 200msw, but also for use at extreme depths which haven’t previously been tackled. We are delighted that the equipment passed these final assessments without any issues.”

As the only system on the market which provides this level of safety, JFD hopes COBRA will be adopted by diving contractors improving the safety of their divers by increasing the chance of survival in the event of a catastrophic failure of the primary breathing system. COBRA should become standard for saturation diving at all depths, not just for deeper diving, improving industry safety globally. Since launching COBRA, JFD has already received a number of orders from major diving contractors.

Giovanni continued:

“The announcement of the 450m rating is expected to satisfy a number of our clients currently operating at depths over 300msw within the Asia Pacific region who have been closely following COBRA’s release.”

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