Specialist equipment being used by the Army in warzones is to be deployed in the oil and gas industry.
Aberdeen oil services firm Bilfinger Salamis UK has teamed up with Sky-Futures to bring in a fleet of unmanned aerial vehicles to inspect platforms.
The move is part of a UK Government-backed drive to use ex-military personnel to plug the North Sea skills gap.
In March, the coalition announced it was setting up a new national programme to re-train ex-military personnel to work in the oil and gas industry.
The plans – designed to tackle the North Sea sector’s skills shortage – were unveiled in Aberdeen by Cabinet ministers Vince Cable, Ed Davey and Michael Moore.
About 2,500 former troops have moved into the industry in two years, and the ministers want to encourage more, at a time when 30,000 armed forces personnel are being made redundant.
Sky-Futures has taken its expertise in drones from the military and is now encouraging former military personnel to join it in the north-east. Bilfinger Salamis UK is now using this technology in fabric maintenance, specialist cleaning and inspection work.
Commercial director and co-founder James Harrison said: “Working in tough, austere environments is what we as individuals did during our time in the military. This provides Sky-Futures with a real advantage, as delivering work for clients offshore demands the same core principles of safety and delivery in demanding conditions.”
Murray Strachan at Bilfinger Salamis said: “The technology and services we employ from Sky-Futures are hugely impressive, and an excellent example of how we embrace innovative solutions.
“Employing the expertise of ex-military staff benefits both the company, who receive specialist knowledge and skills, and obviously supports ex-military personnel who are finding their place in our growing industry. We have employed ex-military personnel for a number of years, and would certainly hope to recruit more in the future.”
Both firms will showcase the technology at Offshore Europe next month.
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