DeepOcean Axes UK Jobs

The subsea firm DeepOcean UK has confirmed it is entering into a statutory period of redundancy consultation with a number of its UK staff, based in its operations in the North East of England.

According to DeepOcean, the consultation will affect 45 members of staff, the majority of which are based in the company’s office in Darlington and its riverside operation in Middlesbrough.

In line with this announcement, the company has called on the Government to review the policing of contracts for levels of ‘local content’ awarded by licence holders for projects extracting and generating energy offshore in UK waters.

The call comes after DeepOcean failed to secure a number of competitive tenders for UK offshore wind farm projects, which have been awarded to businesses based in Belgium and the Netherlands.

In 2014 DeepOcean UK participated in three competitive tenders for projects in UK waters, overseas suppliers won all the contracts.

As part of its bids, DeepOcean UK committed to delivering 82 percent local workforce, its subsea technology and supported by a local and national supply chain.

Tony Inglis, Managing Director, DeepOcean UK, said: “Politicians need to offer strong and effective encouragement to the licence holders in order that local content policy is fulfilled. DeepOcean is confident that it has offered licence holders proposals that are competitively priced and backed by a level of competence and expertise that is demonstrably high. Around the world, other tenders are being won by DeepOcean on the same basis.

“HM Government has a real economic interest in enforcing its policy and supporting UK manufacturing and contracting businesses.”