The talent and success of the north east’s subsea industry were celebrated at Subsea UK’s seventh annual business awards last night.
Attended by more than 800 guests, the event saw innovation and achievement in the industry recognised.
Mark Patterson, chief executive of Dyce-based Nautronix, picked up this year’s outstanding contribution award.
After joining Nautronix in 1996, Mr Patterson oversaw the first public-to-private sale in Australia, delisting the company, before becoming its chief executive in 2002.
Neil Gordon chief executive of industry body Subsea UK, said: “Mark is a well-recognised and well-respected figure within the subsea industry and his award is thoroughly deserved.
“Not only has he contributed significantly to the industry over the course of his career, he has overseen Nautronix’s ambitious expansion plans to great success and has worked hard to position the firm as the leader in its field.”
Picking up the subsea company of the year award was Aberdeen company EPC Offshore. It has seen rapid growth since it was set up in 2009 and has carried out more than £20million of project-management work in the past year alone, including on exploration firm Hurricane’s west-of-Shetland Lancaster field-development concept.
Aberdeen-based Subsea Technologies, set up in 2010, was given the new enterprise award for the design and development of a range of subsea engineering solutions.
The innovation and technology award went to CDL. Set up in 1998, in Aberdeen, CDL now has operations across the Americas.
Last night’s global exports award went to JDR Cable Systems for taking its umbilical systems international.
Hydratight won the safety leadership award for its commitment to high levels of health and safety processes and innovation in training and development.
The honour for emerging talent was won by subsea engineer Paul Otway, of Jee, who was recognised for his work on a variety of projects, including the design and assessment for the world’s longest subsea tieback.
Mr Gordon said: “These awards set out to recognise and reward those companies and individuals who continue to push the boundaries to ensure that the UK subsea sector leads the way globally. A highly impressive shortlist this year not only meant that it was tougher than ever to identify clear winners, but also demonstrated how robust the sector is.”