Maritime Developments (MDL) has invested more than £7 million to expand its flexlay asset range.
This includes six new pieces of modular equipment unique to MDL’s portfolio, including high-capacity tensioners and reel drive systems, as well as its most recent innovation, the wheeled horizontal lay system (WHLS).
“This significant investment from MDL shareholders is a sign of their belief in the company and commitment to our clients, to enable them to progress with their complex scopes in highly competitive and transitioning markets,” said Andrew Blaquiere, MDL managing director.
Blaquiere says the expansion will help the company reach new sectors, notably floating offshore wind, which faces challenges, not least a global shortage of specialist vessels, he says.
“We’re confident that the products that we have brought to the market can enable these operations,” he said.
Unveiled in 2023, the company’s WHLS integrates with MDL’s wide 4-track tensioner range and can be used for both decommissioning and installation, delivering the tensioner’s full line-pull capacity without being limited by the capstan effect – the friction and drag found in chute-based solutions which significantly reduces retrieval capability.
The new additions will also include MDL’s Generation 3 Reel Drive System which is said to have the narrowest footprint on the market.
MDL says the investment comes off the back of significant growth in the business fuelled by increased brand recognition and a surge in overseas orders.
This growth is reflected in the company’s recent move to new 6,000sqm premises in Aberdeen, Scotland to accommodate the doubling of staff numbers since 2020.
