The CMA brings together operators including JFD, BAE Systems, Babcock International Group, Dales Marine Services, Ferguson Marine, Malin Group, and Peel Ports Clydeport, alongside skills and public-sector partners. Priorities include workforce development, inward investment, collaborative funding bids, and strategic opportunities to strengthen the Clyde as a leading maritime cluster.
JFD has helped develop the Alliance from its early stages, working with partners to identify how collaboration can address skills gaps and build capacity for a growing pipeline of maritime and defense work. Members are exploring closer collaboration on apprenticeships, graduate development, and training, alongside visibility of emerging skills requirements and specialist capability across the Clyde.
The partnership also creates a stronger collective voice for Clyde businesses. By sharing information and resources, members can better demonstrate the region’s breadth of capability, support existing programs, and pursue future opportunities collectively.
James Richards, Head of Submarine Rescue at JFD, said: “The Clyde Maritime Alliance gives organizations across the region an opportunity to collaborate more closely, sharing resources, knowledge, and specialist skills to address common challenges. For JFD, that collaboration can help strengthen the skills and capacity needed to support our existing programs, while developing the expertise required to meet future customer needs.”
Richard Devlin, Head of Defence at James Fisher, said: “The Clyde has an important role to play in supporting the UK’s maritime and defense ambitions, drawing on a strong concentration of specialist skills, engineering expertise, and industrial capability. As demand across these markets grows, the Clyde Maritime Alliance provides a stronger collective platform to develop regional capability, attract investment, and ensure the area is positioned to capture future opportunities. As a founding member, JFD is committed to playing an active role in supporting that long-term growth.”
JFD has a long-established presence in Glasgow and along the Clyde, with specialist engineering capability supporting programs including the NATO Submarine Rescue System. Its Clyde-based expertise has also supported international submarine builds and contributed to submarine rescue and saturation diving systems for customers across the world, with Glasgow engineers supporting contracts in markets including Singapore, Australia, and the United States.
Through its involvement in the CMA, JFD will continue to invest in developing specialist skills and strengthening the expertise needed to support its customers in the UK and internationally. By building new partnerships and sharing knowledge across the region, JFD aims to create further opportunities for innovation and develop the capabilities required to meet evolving customer needs.
