Harkand is investing upwards of US$30million to expand its global fleet of remotely operated vehicle systems as the company drives forward with its ambitious growth strategy.
The Group has signed a deal with Forum Subsea Technologies that will see it extend its ROV fleet by 25% and create 30 new full time jobs as it positions itself for capitalizing on projected growth in the inspection, repair and maintenance market.
The program, which on delivery will see Harkand’s fleet grow to 29 vehicles, includes three Triton XLX 150HP workclass ROVs and one Comanche, with an option for a further two XLX vehicles.
Two of the systems will be delivered to Aberdeen and used to bolster Harkand’s existing European based fleet of ROVs. The others will be used to support the international arm of the organisation for deployment on new projects in Singapore, Australia and West Africa.
It will also see the company expand its offshore workforce with positions for up to 30 ROV technicians created. Of these, 15 will be based in Aberdeen and the remainder across Harkand’s operations in Asia Pacific.
Harkand CEO, Nicolas Mouté, said: “This significant investment reflects our strong commitment to grow as a market-leading IRM contractor worldwide and ensures we have the necessary people and equipment in place to meet the existing and planned requirements of the company.”
Managing Director of Harkand ISS, David Kerr, added “We are already experiencing a strong order book for the year ahead. Investing in reliable, powerful and high performance assets that develop our global ROV capabilities allows us to continue delivering a premium service to our customers as they operate in some of the most challenging oil and gas provinces in the world.”
Harkand aims to become a leading global name in subsea inspection, repair and maintenance focused on attaining the highest standards in health, safety, quality and environmental performance along with first class project execution.
The Group was launched in February 2013 through the merger of Iremis, Integrated Subsea Services (ISS) and Andrews Survey following investment by Oaktree Capital Management. Employing 750 people at bases in Aberdeen in the UK, Dubai in the Middle East and Singapore and Perth in Asia Pacific, Harkand aims to grow turnover to $1 billion in the next five years.