Maritime Developments Opens Larger Base in Aberdeen

Maritime Developments (MDL), a leading provider of back-deck equipment for the subsea sector of oil and gas industry, has tripled the size of its Aberdeen office.

The company has moved from Spademill Lane in the west end to 1,500sq ft premises on Dee Street in the city centre. The new four-floor office has its own entrance, reception area and car parking.

The move will allow Maritime Developments to expand its team from 6 to 12 people in the city. In late 2012, Maritime Developments announced it had acquired a workshop, office and yard facility next to its 33,000 sq ft base at Wilson Street, Peterhead. The additional space is being used to house its rapidly-expanding electrical services division and its testing facilities.

The company is expanding its capability to deliver additional electrical and hydraulic services following the acquisition of the 17,500 sq ft site. This will give 13,500sq ft of additional yard area and 4,000 sq ft for an electrical workshop facility.

Derek Smith, chief executive officer of Maritime Developments, said: “The expansion of the Aberdeen office is the next step in the growth of MDL. We’re looking to add to the design and draughting team as well as increasing the number of office support roles. We’ve put the structure in place with our expansion in Aberdeen and Peterhead with a view to growing the business internationally.”

Maritime Developments specialises in the provision of deck equipment solutions for vessels to support the deployment and retrieval of subsea umbilicals, risers and flowlines (SURF) for the oil and gas sector.

MDL has a team of 32 across the Aberdeen and Peterhead operations after securing a series of contract wins. The business, which has its origins in the fishing industry, recently unveiled a new range of 4-tracked tensioners to enhance operational and safety demands for the deepwater market.

The new tensioner delivers a wide range of benefits to clients including being lighter, safer and more cost effective than similar equipment. It can be mounted horizontally or inclined in an HLS (Horizontal Lay System) in its standard base frame. The unit also has the capability to operate in vertical mode when mounted in a VLS (vertical lay system) with the addition of a conversion package.

As well as tensioners and reel drive systems, Maritime Developments delivers compensators, overboarding chutes, level winders, manifold systems and hydraulic power units (HPUs), control systems and electrical power units, reel under rollers, small turntables, spoolers, radius controllers, small horizontal lay systems, vertical lay systems, product support and service, maintenance and repair, system adaptation and upgrades.

Maritime Developments is exhibiting at stand 4D85 at Offshore Europe at the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre, September 3-6, 2013.