As part of a Dutch-French collaboration on submarine construction, a contract has now been signed between Naval Group and Royal IHC.
The two shipbuilders had already signed a preliminary partnership agreement last year. This relates to the new Orka-class submarines that the Dutch Navy is to receive from the French state-owned shipbuilder Naval.
This has now been followed by Royal IHC’s first concrete contract. The contract is for an accommodation module for the submarines. Under the terms of the contract, Royal IHC will be involved in the design of the living quarters on board the new submarines. At a later stage, the Dutch company is also set to be involved in the manufacture and installation of these areas within the modules.
For the Dutch, the ‘grey market’ is an important area for the future. The shipbuilding company was split up a few years ago following major financial difficulties. Since then, it has secured contracts for, amongst other things, specialised vessels and dredgers. Royal IHC is now one of the partners in ‘Team Orka’ – a growing network of Dutch companies involved in the construction of the new class of submarines.
This collaboration is in line with the Industrial Cooperation Agreement (ICA) that Naval Group has concluded with the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, and underlines the importance of Dutch maritime expertise and manufacturing capabilities in the realisation of the Orka-class submarines, it has now been announced.
“The signing of this contract is an important milestone for Royal IHC,” says Eric Gret, Director of Defence at Royal IHC. “Naval Group’s confidence in our expertise and manufacturing capabilities confirms the strength of our company. “For Naval Group, collaboration with Dutch industrial partners is an essential part of the programme,” says Mark Donderwinkel, Country Director for the Netherlands at Naval Group. “Royal IHC brings proven maritime expertise and experience in complex projects. This first contract is an important step in our joint endeavour to provide the Royal Netherlands Navy with modern, reliable and future-proof submarine capabilities.”
