Global testing, inspection and certification company Bureau Veritas (BV) Marine & Offshore is setting down deep roots in South Australia, strengthening ties with local universities and securing their place within the state’s shipbuilding sector.

BV Marine & Offshore initiated their move into South Australia by establishing at the Defence and Space Landing Pad at Lot Fourteen in July 2020, a facility supported by the South Australian Government to help companies relocate by providing short-term office space and access to local networks and resources.

Since making the move into the Defence and Space Landing Pad, BV Marine & Offshore has been looking for opportunities to integrate into the state’s shipbuilding industry, recently working with the University of Adelaide Industry Engagement team to source local talent to grow their team.

Jagruti (Jags) Rayar, who recently completed a dual Master’s in Marine Engineering, Surface Ships and Submarines at the University of Adelaide and ENSTA Bretagne, a French national graduate engineering institute, recently secured a position within the company as a Naval Specialist. She has also completed an internship with global marine prime Naval Group.

Ian Coker, Naval Business Manager Australasia for BV Marine & Offshore said the company had strong plans to collaborate further with the university to bring in more graduates in the future.

“The University of Adelaide has an excellent dual Master of Marine Engineering degree that has developed the requisite engineering skills and knowledge for Jags to be successful academically in this role,” Mr Coker said.

“She has brought enthusiasm, drive and an innovative attitude which is exactly what we were after. My goal has been to provide her with new opportunities and experiences with industry experts and veterans to help develop her industry knowledge.

“Importantly, we are building a high performing team and have started by employing someone who shares our vision and optimism.”

Ms Rayar said the qualifications she has gained has given her the technical knowledge on ship design and the necessary introduction into the defence industry to be successful in her new role.

“Ian has been an amazing boss, mentor and coach, helping me to better understand the defence industry and how we can optimally provide solutions,” Ms Rayar said.

“This opportunity means that I can use my previous knowledge and build on it further, being able to see how the work we are doing adds value to the growing defence industry.”

“With South Australia being the ‘defence state’, I think the opportunities for BV Marine & Offshore as a company are endless. Being able to participate in these opportunities, with excellent guidance from Ian, is definitely a very interesting and a valuable chance for me.”

Recently, BV Offshore & Marine won a contract with the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) to support the development of a new defence seaworthiness management system, which will involve opening a new liaison and support office in Adelaide.

Mr Coker said his team would be providing support and guidance on how to implement pragmatic solutions to meet seaworthiness outcomes for the RAN.

“Our ability to bring experience from the commercial and naval sector and work closely with RAN SMEs is delivering exciting results,” Mr Coker said.

Defence SA Chief Executive Richard Price said it was great to see an international company such as BV Marine & Offshore grow in Adelaide with the support of the Defence and Space Landing Pad.

“South Australia presents a multitude of exciting opportunities in the defence industry, underpinned by the state’s strong commitment to developing a sovereign ship building capability,” Mr Price said.

“Even in these difficult times, the defence sector continues to grow and is crucial to South Australia’s economic prosperity, providing many opportunities for companies such as this to grow industry for generations to come.”

To find out more about BV Marine & Offshore, visit www.bureauveritas.com.au