SVITZER, the leading provider of safety and support services within the marine industry, and RESQ, the largest Norwegian provider of safety and crisis management training, today announces a joint agreement to establish a safety training centre in Aberdeen, Scotland.

The new safety training centre will provide a comprehensive range of internationally certified water survival, fire fighting, rescue, medical and crisis management training courses to the oil and gas and offshore wind turbine industry throughout the North Sea. The new safety training centre is due to open in March 2010.

Lars Christian Zohner, managing director, SVITZER Safety Services, says: “SVITZER is delighted to have the opportunity to work with RESQ on this exciting venture. We are confident that we will be able to provide a safety training centre, which will give clients the possibility to experience world-class safety training based on years of experience within both marine training and the safety and support which have been at the core of SVITZER’s business proposal for more than 175 years. SVITZER is pleased to establish a strong presence in Aberdeen with the leading provider of safety and crisis management training in Norway, which will pave the way for future opportunities worldwide.”

RESQ managing director, Torrod Lokna, says,” The joint venture with SVITZER is a fantastic opportunity for RESQ to service our international clients in all the countries around the North Sea. Aberdeen is the capital of offshore in Europe and thereby a vital city for us to be in. We are now able to provide safety training at six locations around the North Sea: Aberdeen, Scotland; Stavanger, Bergen, Kristiansund and Haugesund, Norway, and through SVITZER in Esbjerg, Denmark.”