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Babcock NZ won the Strategic Partnership Award as part of the Minister of Defence Awards of Excellence to Industry.
Babcock New Zealand confirmed that it has won the Strategic Partnership Award as part of the NZ Minister of Defence Awards of Excellence to Industry.
The company achieved the merit having successfully worked with the Defence Logistics Command (Maritime) to implement safety procedures for onsite workers in naval dockyards, thus allowing logistics and maintenance to continue safely. This consultation was undertaken as part of Babcock New Zealand’s agreement with the Royal New Zealand Navy for maintenance and repair.
Chris Saxby, managing director of Babcock New Zealand, noted that the plan had allowed the team to maintain their ongoing commitments to the RNZN while also operating safely.
“The biggest challenge was ensuring that we didn’t get community transmission in the dockyard as this would affect not only our dockyard workforce, but also the sailors who work here on board the Navy’s ships. Splitting our work teams into primarily red and green groups, with separate shifts and allocated workshop areas servicing specific ships reduced the risk of potential cross-team transmission,” Saxby noted.
Captain Mark Worsfold, Logistics Commander Maritime for the RNZN, commended Babcock New Zealand’s continuity plan amid the pandemic.
“Not only did we have to protect our sailors, but we had to protect the continuity of capability because our ships can be called upon to do anything at any time,” CAPT Worsfold commented.
“The Babcock relationship with the New Zealand Defence Force is very forward-leaning, they were with us all the way. Together, throughout our response to the pandemic, we didn’t compromise the safety of our people or our ability to support the Navy.”
[Related: Babcock secures £150m UK MOD contract]
