Offshore drilling contractor Stena Drilling has acquired a 30% stake in Intebloc, a provider of digital lifting technology solutions that improve the safety and productivity of offshore lifting operations.
Backed by Stena Drilling, Intebloc will speed up product development strategy, and will also work to diversify into construction, renewables and the marine sector globally.
The investment, of an undisclosed amount, comes after Stena Drilling’s early adoption of Intebloc’s Rig-Ware technology for managing and tracking lifting equipment.
The system was first trialed on a few Stena Drilling offshore drilling rigs before being adopted by the full fleet to increase offshore safety, reduce the risk of lifting equipment breakdowns, and allow for prompt and informed decision-making.
Ross McLeod, CEO at Intebloc said: “We have benefited significantly from Stena’s feedback in the development of Rig-Ware, which has now been successfully deployed with several UKCS operators and service companies."
Colin Dawson, Digital Business Transformation Manager at Stena Drilling said: “The market demands more focus on digital technologies that truly add value.
"We have identified exponential technologies that accelerate our goal of delivering the most sustainable, digitally empowered service. Intebloc is one of those; its innovation culture and technology roadmap are the reasons why we believe that they can deliver significant improvements in lifting practices not only in upstream oil and gas, but across the entire lifting market. I look forward to working closely with the team on future developments.”
Erik Ronsberg, CEO at Stena Drilling added: "Our work with the Intebloc team over the last two years has driven our excitement and belief in the transformational potential of their technology.
"We believe that this investment will deliver significant synergies to both parties and I foresee an exciting future working together.”
Intebloc was supported by OGTC, who helped accelerate the development and deployment of Rig-Ware. The company continues to work with OGTC in the development of their second enhanced lifting technology, focused on safe marine operations.