Bibby Offshore said yesterday it was to create about 150 north-east jobs after a multimillion-pound investment in a vessel for its core North Sea market.
The Granite City-based subsea construction and inspection, repair and maintenance firm said the move would lead to about 100 jobs offshore and a further 50 onshore during the first six months of operation.
Bibby Offshore – a division of Bibby Line Group (BLG) – has struck a deal under which it will take control of the diving-support vessel Toisa Polaris on a two-year charter, with options to extend, starting in January.
The agreement with Bermuda-incorporated offshore-support vessel operator Toisa also includes a purchase option.
The exact value of the deal has not been disclosed.
Bibby said Toisa Polaris was one of the North Sea’s premier diving-support ships, with a recognised track record since her arrival in the area in 1999.
Howard Woodcock, Bibby’s chief executive, said: “Its specification not only enhances our current fleet but also expands our offshore service capability.
“It further underlines our commitment to the North Sea offshore market, which we believe has a significant part to play in our company’s continued growth.”
Mr Woodcock said the deal also further underlined the company’s commitment to become a leading subsea construction and installation business, adding: “I am personally excited by the opportunities this will bring.”
Bibby Offshore undertakes subsea projects using owned and leased diving-support vessels, also operating floating production and storage units. The firm – established as a separate division of BLG in 2007 – has annual turnover of more than £150million and employs about 200 people onshore and 450 offshore, with offices in Aberdeen, Trinidad and Singapore.
It recently set up a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) division, Bibby Remote Intervention, which is responsible for ROV and survey operations across the company fleet.
The firm’s job news came just a day after Aberdeen oil service company Sparrows said it was creating a further 100 roles in the city on the back of new contracts.
Sparrows chief executive Doug Sedge said the expansion was due to confidence in the global offshore market and a robust order book.