Oil and gas service firm QTEC said yesterday it had started 2013 positively by securing a string of new contracts.
It added that they came after the most successful 12 months in the company’s 21-year history.
The Aberdeen firm, which provides audit and drilling-fluid handling and containment services to oil and gas operators, said it grew turnover to £4.5million last year, beating expectations and 75% higher than 2011.
Staff numbers also rose during 2012, with the headcount up from 20 at the start of the year to 36 in December.
After opening offices in the US in 2011, last year it appointed its first member of staff to be based in the country full-time.
QTEC said it had landed recent contracts with a combined value of £2million from oil and gas companies around the world.
They include work on five platforms in the North Sea for a “major operator”, plus a contract on board one of Northern Offshore’s rigs.
Internationally, QTEC said it had secured work in Australia, the Gulf of Mexico and west Africa.
The firm anticipates further strong growth in 2013 and has recently restructured its business into three global divisions.
It is also eyeing opportunities in the US, where stricter environmental regulations are being introduced as a result of the 2010 Macondo incident.
General manager Bill Walkingshaw said: “QTEC made solid progress during 2012 . . . and we secured important contracts such as work on a Pakistan land drilling project and our first job in Norwegian waters. The coming year looks equally positive and should see us firmly cement our position as a leading independent provider of fluid-handling, containment and compliance services to the oil and gas industry.
“The outlook for 2013 is very upbeat and recent contract awards have seen QTEC make a good start to the year. There is a lot of confidence in the market just now, which is reinforced by the long-term global outlook. Around 90% of our work is carried out overseas and the international market offers great potential for us.”
QTEC is a finalist in the business success over three years category at this year’s Grampian Awards for Business Excellence.