Marine trenching and cable lay acquisition

The group said that the acquisition further positions Global Marine Group for significant offshore power market opportunities.

“We believe this acquisition has two key benefits, meeting the needs of our customers, while at the same time strengthening GMG’s market position in offshore power,” said Ian Douglas, chief executive officer of GMG.

The Fugro acquisition significantly enhances GMG’s portfolio of service offerings to the market, with a comprehensive range of integrated services that enable GMG to complete additional packages of work in direct response to market demands.

Project expertise

Fugro has installed more than 470 power cables, recently completing the installation of 122 cables at the Rampion Offshore Wind Farm.

It has also successfully completed the trenching of the export cable and inter array cables on the world’s first floating wind farm, Hywind Scotland, off the coast of Aberdeenshire.

This transaction provides GMG with highly capable, proven assets, including 23 employees located in Aberdeen, that have a successful track record of delivering complex subsea engineering projects to offshore customers globally.

For example, the M/V Symphony, a multi-purpose vessel built in 2011 with an extensive 1,400m2 deck space, has recently joined GMG’s cable installation and maintenance fleet. In addition, GMG has added two powerful Q1400 trenchers and two work class remotely operated vehicles to its offering.

As part of the transaction, Fugro will become the preferred provider of marine site characterisation and asset integrity services to GMG.

By Anne-Marie Causer