A NORTH-EAST firm which has spent three years designing a safer winch for transferring people to and from oil and gas platforms has sold its first product.
Thern Lifting Services, based at Inverurie, was set up in 2008 with the aim of creating a secure winch to lower offshore workers into areas where machines cannot go.
Company owner Jim Rogerson said yesterday he believed current technology was not safe enough and invested £1.6million to create a winch mechanism which would cut down the number of fatalities on platforms.
After three years in the design stage, Thern has now sold its first £48,800 Monitor 75/150 to Talisman Energy and Odfjell Drilling for the Claymore platform.
Mr Rogerson, who sold his hydraulic winch firm Monyana to marine service company James Fisher for £10.75million in 2005, said the Monitor had been approved by risk-management organisation Lloyds Register and tests on the Claymore had been very successful.
He added: “We believe this product represents a turning point for the industry. We have a winch which will not corrode and enhances all the safety features needed.”