JFD secures multi-million pound contract to build 500m Saturation Diving System for Shanghai Salvage

JFD, the leading global subsea operations and engineering company and part of James Fisher and Sons plc, today announces that it has been awarded a major contract with Shanghai Salvage, one of the biggest professional salvage companies in China.

The contract, valued in the region of £35m, is for the design and build of a 24 man saturation dive system capable of diving to depths of 500m, to help strengthen Shanghai Salvage’s subsea operational capability and support its growth into deeper diving operations.

Drawing upon JFD’s wealth of engineering expertise, the new 24 man system will be built to incorporate advanced, state-of-the-art technology which will allow the safe conduct of 500m diving, which is significantly beyond the depth rating of the majority of standard diving systems.

The build consists of two independent 12 man saturation diving systems including diving bell, hyperbaric lifeboat, gas management and life support equipment built into a single lift module. The systems can be deployed individually on vessels of opportunity or installed together on board a newly designed dive support vessel (DSV).

JFD has enjoyed a ten year partnership with government–owned Shanghai Salvage, following the award of a contract in 2007/08 for the supply of a 300m rated saturation diving system. The delivered system has subsequently performed successfully on board the DSV ‘Shen Qian Hao’, achieving the Chinese record deepest saturation dive in 2014.

With a long standing reputation for the manufacture of saturation dive systems that lead the way in terms of specification and capability, JFD was best placed to accept this engineering challenge. The 24 man saturation dive system will include the engineering, procurement, construction, installation and maintenance of two x 12 man saturation dive system modules that are fully International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) and Lloyds Register compliant.

Giovanni Corbetta, JFD managing director said:

“The decision to assign the contract to JFD is testament to our proven capability. Shanghai Salvage has recognised the key benefits associated with JFD systems and we are delighted to support them once again as their diving operations advance into deeper waters. JFD prides itself on its refined engineering expertise which has been developed over the past 35 years, allowing us to deliver highly specialised and technologically advanced systems of exceptional quality.”

This award is the result of several years’ business development effort into the Chinese market. JFD anticipates that as a result of the contract, their presence will be strengthened in the region, making China a significant market for the company.