Helix Well Ops Strengthens Its Position in Scotland

Aberdeen-based Helix Well Ops (Well Ops) has underlined its commitment to the north-east and the energy industry with a move to new premises.

A leading global provider of subsea well intervention, Well Ops has moved to Alba Gate on Stoneywood Road in Dyce, Aberdeen. It has taken on a six-year lease of the 27,682 sq ft building.  This is double the space it previously occupied at Helix House, which it shared with sister company Canyon Offshore which remains there.

The move to larger premises represents a major investment for Well Ops and is a result of the growing workforce that it requires to meet the increasing demand for its well intervention and decommissioning services delivered from its three regional mono-hull vessels.

Well Ops currently employs 115 staff onshore and a further 350 offshore onboard its well intervention vessels MSV Seawell, Well Enhancer and the chartered Skandi Constructor which joined the fleet in 2013.

The addition of Skandi Constructor provides Well Ops’ clients with a vessel equipped to work in both harsh environments and deepwater subsea well locations, such as West Africa and closer to home, waters West of Shetland.  Expanding its fleet and capabilities has led to an increase in business, with several contract wins both domestically and internationally through to the end of 2015.

Steve Nairn, Well Ops’ regional vice president of Europe and Africa, said: “In the past five years Well Ops has invested heavily in our operations in Scotland, adding two mono-hull well intervention vessels to our fleet; Well Enhancer in 2009 and the chartered Skandi Constructor in 2013. Our move to larger premises illustrates the investment we continue to make in the business, underlining our commitment to further growing our presence in the region. 

“North-east Scotland has witnessed substantial investment from the energy industry over the past year, showing the confidence that persists in the sector.  We have grown our business consistently over recent years, both in terms of contracts secured and workforce employed.  I believe that demand for our vessels is strong because of our track-record, which is built on over 25 years’ operational experience in preparing and then executing bespoke well intervention projects to fit our client’s individual needs.”

Upcoming projects planned for offshore Canada and West of Shetland, as well as a recently completed second well intervention campaign in offshore Equatorial Guinea – following a project in 2011, illustrates the diversity of environments in which Well Ops’ vessels and project teams operate.

A business unit of Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc., Aberdeen-based Helix Well Ops provides a range of well operations and decommissioning services using specialist vessels and innovative equipment.