A Cumbrian company is keeping close tabs on the news that the Norwegian Navy will be equipped with British-made warships designed for anti-submarine warfare as part of the country’s largest defence capability investment to date.
The Government says the deal will support 4,000 jobs across the UK supply chain until well into the 2030s, including more than 2,000 at BAE Systems’ Glasgow shipyards.
Marl International, based in Ulverston, specialises in designing and manufacturing large-scale custom lighting systems for the defence and rail industry.
The company has designed and manufactured a complete suite of internal and external lighting systems as well as control systems for the Royal Navy’s Type 26 frigates now under construction by BAE Systems on the Clyde.
Eight ships are being built which will contain multispectral lighting, net vision device (NVG) compatible lighting, dark adaptive lighting to preserve crew’s night vision, emergency lighting that remains active with a loss of power and dimmable lights for use in numerous applications.
Lighting applications are required to be tuned to the area of the ship they are used in such as warm white for crew compartments, cool white for medical applications. All are being supplied by the Cumbria firm.
The news that Norway has selected the United Kingdom as a strategic partner for the procurement of at least five more Type 26 frigates means Marl could be in line for more work to supply the country’s fleet.
“It is great news for UK shipbuilding and we wait to see how we can support our shipbuilding customers going forward,” Sam Fletcher, Marl’s defence sales manager, told Business Crack.
Norway’s operation of identical Type 26 ships alongside the Royal Navy is a sign of a deepening long term-strategic relationship that will see a combined fleet of 13 anti-submarine warfare frigates to detect hostile submarines on NATO’s northern flank.
The decision comes ahead of a new UK-Norway defence agreement that will strengthen Euro-Atlantic security while bringing the two countries’ defence industries closer together to boost jobs, growth, and innovation.
