New deal wins isles firm more business

SHETLAND engineering firm Ocean Kinetics is teaming up with international welding and fabrication company Serimax in a bid to win more work from the oil and gas sector.

The Lerwick business said it was perfectly located to offer significant savings to North Sea and West of Shetland operators.

The agreement with Serimax, whose UK base is at Evanton on the Cromarty Firth, was one outcome from a recent showcase event organised by trade group Energy North with support from development agency HIE.

Both companies have now signed a memorandum of understanding and provisional discussions are already taking place with one major offshore operator to place work in Lerwick.

Ocean Kinetics managing director John Henderson said that by joining forces both companies would provide a more sophisticated service that could meet the increasing challenge of technical specifications at lower cost.

“Both companies share the same values and the belief in providing the highest quality solutions to energy industry clients,” he said.

“We understand the current pressure on operators and hope this move will lead to efficiencies for clients through the services we can provide here in Lerwick.”

Dave Mackay, of Serimax, said the company was impressed by Ocean Kinetics’ facilities and work ethic.

“In the current climate our clients are asking us to look at how we can become more efficient and this is a step towards meeting that objective,” he said.

“We feel very confident about the relationship and are looking forward to working with them.”

Manager for business growth at HIE’s Shetland office, Elaine Jamieson, said the Showcase Shetland event enabled representatives from the major oil and gas companies to meet local engineering and fabrication companies.

“It is a great opportunity to showcase the high-quality and innovative infrastructure that we have here in Shetland.

“I feel it is important for people to come to Shetland to see it for themselves. Very often visitors are surprised by the resources and the positive attitude of local companies.”