A new company committed to supporting the maritime security of the Gulf states was launched in Abu Dhabi today before an audience of naval officers from across the region.
Gulf Logistics & Naval Support (GLNS) is a joint venture between Abu Dhabi Ship Building (ADSB) and the UK’s BVT Surface Fleet.
ADSB, which is the majority shareholder, is the region’s leading naval shipbuilder and provider of naval support services in the GCC. It is only shipyard in the region with the capability to build, refit, repair and upgrade complex naval warships.
Its partner, BVT Surface Fleet, is a world leader in providing innovative through-life support service solutions to customers worldwide and is a leading support partner for the UK Royal Navy.
Chairman of the GLNS Board of Directors, Major General Suhail Shaheen Al Marar, retired Commander of the UAE Naval Forces, told the gathering at the Armed Forces Officers Club in Abu Dhabi that the company has been formed at a time when navies in the region are growing in sophistication and size.
“This will substantially increase the logistics support capability,” he said. “Maritime defence forces are experiencing an increased operational tempo to support counterterrorism and anti-piracy missions and this means increased support for 24-hour availability of services.
“Our vision is that Gulf Logistics & Naval Support will be the partner of choice in the Middle East region, helping our customers achieve a high level of performance and availability of their naval fleets. We will do this by building a strong team that will specialise in all the areas of naval fleet support.
“Abu Dhabi and the UAE are experiencing a fantastic amount of growth and development. This makes the security of the region even more important. Our new company is committed to supporting these strategic security requirements, so the UAE and the region can continue to prosper.“
GLNS General Manager Joseph Flynn said: “Marine defence forces are finding it increasingly difficult to maintain their fleets using traditional in-house support and sub-contracting.
“In addition to these security challenges, there are always budget pressures. Countries that have successfully outsourced defence services have, over time, reduced costs and improved services.
“The region’s navies have ageing fleets and obsolescence has become a major problem. Current ad-hoc servicing will not be sufficient, driving a desire to increase regular planned service. We believe that, working in partnership with our customers, we can assist them in meeting these challenges.”
Initially the new company will assume the responsibility for some work currently carried out by its joint venture partners.
ADSB has been the UAE Navy’s partner for the past 13 years, building, refitting and repairing a wide variety of vessels within its fleet. It has also been the support partner of Abu Dhabi’s Critical National Infrastructure Authority, providing full maintenance of its vessels since the authority was set up two years ago.
ADSB will subcontract all of its deployed maintenance and warranty services, integrated logistics support, training and spare parts support business to GLNS.
In addition, BVT Surface Fleet will also subcontract Gulf based support work to the new company.