10 Dec. 2003

Tripartite agreement on submarine rescue France, Norway and the United Kingdom signed an agreement on 9 December at NATO HQ on the common procurement of a submarine rescue system. The three countries are committed to jointly acquiring a submersible rescue vehicle capable of operating to a depth of 600m to rescue crew from submarines in difficulty. This is the first time that a group of nations have combined their efforts to acquire and operate such a system. The delivery of the system (the rescue vehicle, a remotely operated submersible vehicle and other components) is expected in 2006. It will be based in Scotland. The total cost is expected to be in the region of 167 million euros. A feasibility study of the system was co-funded by NATO.