Harkand has confirmed the acquisition of the main assets and business of Veolia Marine Services (VMS). The transaction is in line with the announcement of May 21, 2013.
The acquisition adds 150 onshore and offshore staff, three dynamically-positioned multi-purpose vessels and six work-class remotely operated vehicles (ROV) to Harkand’s growing workforce and fleet. With Harkand already active in the North Sea, Asia Pacific, and Africa, this acquisition expands the group’s international reach by adding a Houston operation with an established track-record in deepwater inspection, repair, and maintenance in the Gulf of Mexico.
Chief executive officer Nicolas Mouté said: “We are delighted to confirm the closing of the transaction. With its complementary deepwater experience and established presence in the USA, this move cements our position and reinforces our ambition of becoming a global market leader.”
The business, to be renamed Harkand North America, will be headed by managing director Ashit “AJ” Jain, who joined Harkand on the 26th of August, working together with Jim Parker, VMS’ long standing general manager, who will remain in his post and report to AJ. A former executive vice president and chief operating officer of Dynamic Energy Services International in New Orleans and senior vice president and chief operating officer with Global Industries Ltd, AJ has held a number of senior management and engineering positions with a diverse range of companies in a career spanning more than 20 years.
With extensive experience working in a number of key energy hubs around the world including the Middle East, Asia-Pacific and West Africa, as well as North and South America, the expertise he brings to the table will support Harkand’s existing operations in North America and help build our presence going forward. An alumni of the Stanford Executive Program, AJ holds an MBA in Finance from the University of Houston and a B.Sc. in Civil Engineering from the University of Delhi; and is a member of both the Society of Petroleum Engineers and the Marine Technology Society.
The assets included in the transaction are the DP2 multi-purpose support vessel Swordfish with a nine-man saturation diving system and two Triton XLS ROVs onboard; the DP3 multi-purpose support vessel Viking Poseidon, with two Triton XLS ROVs onboard; and the DP3 multi-purpose support vessel Normand Pacific with two Triton XLS/XLX ROVs onboard.
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