Dutch Coast Guard Gets Two Bristow Helicopters for SAR Operations

Helicopter services firm Bristow Group said Friday it was embarking on a new 10-year relationship with the Dutch Coastguard, delivering helicopter SAR operations for people and communities across the country through its affiliate, Bristow Netherlands B.V.

"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," said Alan Corbett, Bristow Senior Vice President for Europe, Africa, Middle East, Asia & Australia and Search and Rescue. "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."

Each new base is home to a winch-equipped AW189 helicopter and is staffed by experienced engineers and ground support teams. Bristow will also provide an additional back-up aircraft, ensuring the continuity of this lifesaving service, Bristow said.

The aircraft – crewed by two pilots as well as specialist winch operators and a SAR nurse – also feature custom-designed ergonomic medical stations, giving the SAR nurse the right facilities to provide urgent medical care during flight, Bristow added.

As well as responding to emergencies, Bristow said that 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).

The Dutch Coast Guard said that the new helicopters would take over the task of NHV's current Dauphin helicopters. The new helicopters are larger and therefore have a rescue capacity of 19 people, the Coast Guard said.