Back-deck equipment specialist Maritime Developments has launched a new equipment hire division the meet “heightened demand”.
The firm, which has its base in Peterhead and an office in Aberdeen, said it was on track to achieve a £12million turnover in its current year, more than doubling its business in 2013 when it reached a turnover of £5.7million.
Mike Gaskin, commercial director at Maritime Developments, said the business was responding to an increased demand for its products and services, not only in the North Sea but also in West Africa, North America and Asia.
He said: “We’ve continued to grow the business organically and the launch of an equipment hire business stream was a natural step. We design and manufacture the full range of back-deck equipment, so we have the capability in-house. We also have the ability to instal the equipment and maintain it, if required.”
Maritime Developments has completed a 400-tonne reel drive system to join its rental fleet. The hire fleet will include an 8.6m diameter installation reel, a 250-tonne lift beam, a 50-tonne radius chute, powerpacks and a small crane. A 50-tonne 4-track is tensioner targeted for the market in the second half of the year.
Maritime Developments, which was established in 1999, also launched an innovative portable vertical lay system (VLS) for the deployment and retrieval of subsea umbilicals, risers and flowlines (SURF).
In addition to securing key projects in the North Sea for international contractors, Maritime has expanded in the past year into markets such as the Gulf of Mexico, Asia/Australia and West Africa.
The firm has a team of 44 across its Aberdeen and Peterhead operations.
The company delivers tensioners, reel drive systems, compensators, overboarding chutes, level winders, manifold systems and hydraulic power units (HPUs), control systems and electrical power units, reel under rollers, small turntables, spoolers, radius controllers, product support and service, maintenance and repair, system adaptation and upgrades.
Last year the firm acquired a workshop, office and yard facility next to its base in Peterhead and leased office premises in Aberdeen to accommodate the expansion of the business during 2013.