French shipbuilder Naval Group has established a Dutch subsidiary, Naval Group Netherlands, in a bid to secure a role in the Royal Netherlands Navy’s Walrus-class submarine and Tripartite-class mine countermeasures ship replacement programs.

Led by Mark van Rooij, Naval Group Netherlands will serve the group’s commitment to establish long-term industrial activities.

“Naval Group’s new subsidiary, represents a pivotal step towards building long-term strategic partnerships with the Netherlands and with the maritime sector,” the company said in an announcement.

If selected, the Dutch subsidiary will be key in connecting Naval Group and its Netherlands partners as well as in managing the future submarine manufacturing process for the Walrus replacement program.

“Naval Group is strongly committed to strengthen the ties in the Netherlands with all potential partners, SMEs and larger entities as well as knowledge centers leveraging their technical excellence, both for the Walrus class replacement program and other business opportunities within Naval Group,” Hervé Guillou, Naval Group chief executive officer said.

“Within the frame of the ongoing Walrus class replacement program, Naval Group has developed an industrial cooperation plan that currently includes the participation of more than 70 Dutch companies and knowledge and research centers,” Guillou added.

In addition to competing for the Walrus-class submarine replacement, Naval Group has teamed up with French autonomous systems specialist ECA Group with the aim of securing work in the program to replace Dutch and Belgian Navy minehunters.