North Star has created a new senior leadership role to oversee the growing demand for its service offshore vessels (SOV) from the wind industry.
And the Aberdeen shipping group has announced that Steve Myers will take up the position, based in the firm’s Port of Tyne office.
He will be responsible for North Star’s fleet of SOVs across all three of its facilities in Newcastle, Lowestoft and the Granite City.
Hailing from a maritime and naval background, Mr Myers has worked in the energy sector for almost two decades, including 10 years in roles focused on renewables.
Most recently, he worked at Siemens Gamesa Renewables (SGRE), where he managed the end-to-end logistics for offshore windfarm sites.
He was also responsible for the organisation’s fleet management and healthy and safety strategy across its 40 assets, made up of SOVs, crew transfer vessels, jack-ups and helicopters.
© Supplied by Big PartnershipOn taking up the new role, Mr Myers said: “This is a great time to be joining North Star as the firm builds up its portfolio of walk-to-work SOVs for technicians working on offshore wind turbines and moves further forward in its ambitions to become a leading SOV operator.
“I’ve known of North Star for a number of years due to the strength of the brand as a leading player in oil and gas infrastructure support. It is a fantastic opportunity to join a team which continues to be at the forefront of design and newbuild delivery, as well as providing in-house crewing, operational excellence and ship maintenance.
“North Star’s SOV fleet is designed to be sustainable, green and high performing. I’m thrilled to be leading the North Star SOV operations team to ensure that we bring a market leading service to our client across the duration of our long-term contract.”
The shipping group, which is headquartered in Queen’s Road, launched North Star Renewables last year to service the booming sector.
Offshore wind is forecast to attract more than £60 billion worth of investment over the next five years, with Scotland expected to be at the forefront.
The ScotWind offshore leasing round that will facilitate the next generation of wind farms closed last week
North Star has already enjoyed significant success in the space, securing a £270 million contract in March to supply three SOVs for use at the Dogger Bank development.
The offshore wind farm, which is currently under construction about 80 miles off the Yorkshire coast, will be the world’s largest upon completion.
North Star currently employs about 1,400 personnel in the UK, working across 44 offshore support vessels in the North Sea.
It recently strengthened its renewables arm with the appointment of Andrew Duncan as its first renewables director, while Michael Reid has also transitioned to a new role of SOV and technology manager.
Matthew Gordon, North Star chief executive, said: “As the number of UK offshore wind farm developments increase to help the government meet its green energy promises, there will be an even stronger demand for next-generation SOVs and daughter craft, designed and built with sustainability and innovation. As well as collaborating with technology partners to drive this, we have a large pool of talented crew across the UK to draw upon, who are highly skilled at providing superior support across our vessels.
“Steve has a proven track record for successfully managing the logistics for large, in-demand asset fleets, as well as a firm understanding of wind farm customers’ needs. This combination of extensive knowledge and experience will complement our existing expertise within the North Star Group and help us to keep expanding our fleet for UK and overseas waters and take the business to the next level.”
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