News

Seacroft Marine reports over £500,000 in new contracts, as market improves

Noting a significant upturn in marine activity supporting the UKCS oil and gas sector, Aberdeen-based Seacroft Marine Consultants Limited has reported more than £500,000 in new contracts won in the first 3 months of 2018.

In the most recent award, Seacroft has been contracted to deliver its SafeZone® 500 training programme to 300 offshore and marine personnel involved in ensuring safe vessel operations within the 500m safety zones around the un-named client’s platforms and drilling rigs in the southern North Sea.

Michael Cowlam, technical director of Seacroft Marine says: “Seacroft’s SafeZone® 500 programme, which we launched in 2017, is becoming established as the gold-standard suite of procedures, training and audit tools supporting safe management and operation of vessels in the 500m safety zone surrounding offshore installations.

“SafeZone® 500 has already been adopted by 7 leading operating companies on the UKCS and Seacroft have trained over 600 platform, rig and vessel personnel to the SafeZone® 500 standard; that figure will now rise to over 1,000 by the year end”, says Mr Cowlam

Other contract gains have included a major marine assurance contract with INEOS FPS, supporting all their vessel operations. This contract will also see Seacroft provide marine representatives to oversee safe operation of the monohull walk-to-work accommodation vessel Polar Queen during a three month project at the INEOS FPS Unity platform in the North Sea.

“Walk-to-work monohull accommodation vessels are relatively new to central and northern North Sea operations, so Seacroft are pleased to have this opportunity to lead in the development and oversight of innovative safe operating procedures for walk-to-work vessel use in combined accommodation and Emergency Response & Rescue Vessel (ERRV) roles,” continues Michael Cowlam

Reflecting the upturn in drilling activity, Seacroft have also provided project teams delivering marine assurance during drilling rig reactivations for North Sea work, while new initiatives surrounding the sharing of ERRVs have led clients to request Seacroft to re-evaluate numerous long standing ERRV sharing arrangements.

Jennifer Fraser, company director responsible for the commercial side of Seacroft’s business, says: “Seacroft Marine is an owner-managed, Aberdeen-based marine consultancy which means we have been well placed to respond quickly to our clients’ growing – and changing – needs in 2018. Seacroft has already been actively recruiting to new roles in the company and our projection is for continuing growth in business and employment as the year progresses.”

Notes to Editors

Seacroft Marine is an Aberdeen-based marine consultancy providing advice, inspection and assurance services to offshore installation operators, drilling contractors and the support vessels attending them, and to ports and harbours.

Seacroft’s services include vessel procedures and trials, CMID & OVID vessel inspections, dynamic positioning assurance & trials, rig move services, International Safety Management (ISM) audits, technical authorship, marine awareness training, incident investigation, training in ship handling and bridge team management and port/marine safety procedures and audits.

The company has a track record of innovation in its sector, including development of safe practices for sharing ERRVs and, in 2017, the launch of the Seacroft’s ‘SafeZone 500’ suite of ready-to-use procedures, training and audit tools which manage and mitigate risk of collision between offshore installations and their attending vessels.

Established in 1995 by Capt. Roderick MacSween, the business has been jointly owned and led since 2004 by his daughter, Jennifer Fraser and technical director Michael Cowlam.

Based at the distinctive Roundhouse at Aberdeen’s harbour entrance, Seacroft has a core staff of 15, the majority of whom are Master Mariners and Marine Engineers. The firm also retains some 80 further consultants specialising in aspects of marine assurance and trialling work

For further information on Seacroft Marine Consultants services please visit www.seacroftmarine.com.