A unit of marine services provider Acteon is to acquire decommissioning assets and personnel from technology group Oceaneering.
Announced on Wednesday, the deal will see Claxton – the main brand for Acteon’s drilling and decommissioning operations – take on an unspecified number of Oceaneering staff based in Norway, along with some of the company’s key decommissioning assets.
Claxton said the transaction includes well and pile abrasive cutting and recovery systems and associated tooling. Conductor drilling, pinning and cutting systems, diamond wire saws, dredges and “various ancillary equipment” are also included in the deal.
The equipment will initially be deployed from Acteon’s bases in Norway, Dubai and Aberdeen, it added.
Acteon currently operates in 21 countries and employs more than 2,000 global staff. Its portfolio includes several group companies located in Aberdeen and the north-east, including Claxton which has a base in Westhill, as well as its UK headquarters in Great Yarmouth.
The value of the acquisition was not disclosed, though the transaction is expected to close by 30 March 2022.
Oceaneering employs over 500 people across the UK, including at its regional headquarters in Aberdeen. The company confirmed that no UK-based employees are affected by the transaction.
Alongside equipment and staff, Oceaneering is establishing a master services agreement through which Claxton will provide services to support wider scopes of work, potentially including multi-client ‘Rig Chase’ decommissioning campaigns, which see Oceaneering provide vessel-based wellhead removal operations.
“The deal will increase our capacity, the range of technologies at our disposal and our decommissioning expertise, and reinforce Claxton’s position as one of the leading global suppliers of offshore cutting services,” said Acteon drilling and decommissioning segment managing director Sam Hanton.
“This deal enables us to strategically focus on our integrated vessel solutions offering, which include our multi-client Rig Chase and vessel-based well plugging and abandonment campaigns, while ensuring access to decommissioning services through a partnership and new master services agreement with Claxton,” added Oceaneering director of offshore projects group Luke Pirie.
In 2019, the brand also took on 177 workers from Proserv amid an acquisition of its field technology services (FTS) business.
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