NORTH-EAST subsea service firm Hallin Marine hopes to create up to 40 jobs by the year-end as part of a growth strategy and after winning a major contract off Africa.
The company, which moved into new £30million premises earlier this year, has won a two-year life-of-field maintenance contract offshore Nigeria, with options for a three-year extension. It has also named a new managing director, Giovanni Corbetta, previously project director at the business: the western division of Singapore-based Hallin Group.
Mr Corbetta said the combination of the offshore Africa project win and planned growth meant the firm needed more staff and that more would be needed going into 2012.
He said the company, which had focused on remotely operated vehicle (ROV) services, had its sights set on becoming an integrated subsea contractor, adding vessel operation and saturation diving to its offer.
It will see fellow Hallin company, engineering consultancy Prospect, also move into the Westhill offices, taking 20 staff based in Carden Place with it.
This will take numbers there to more than 120.
“Up to last year the business of Hallin was targeting ROV-type jobs,” said Mr Corbetta. “We got our first vessel last year and at the start focused on renting it.
“We are now moving to add vessels and assets to the company and try to move from the spot market to targeting full projects.
“We can bring added value through our engineering company, Prospect, and our experience in the ROV and diving business.”
He said long-term life-of-field work was a key plank in the firm’s strategy and it would be looking for further similar opportunities. It was also looking at field-development and subsea projects.
As well as offshore west Africa, he said the business, with a turnover of more than £30million, was seeing increasing activity in the Caspian and Middle East.
Hallin was founded in 1998 in Singapore, where its east division is based. In late 2009 it was bought by US group Superior Energy Services, based in New Orleans.
Mr Corbetta, 47, has been in the subsea construction business 20 years, and has held senior positions at Sonsub and Saipem.