New specialist marine services firm set up in East of England

Former James Fisher managing director Martin Sisley, offshore energy consultancy Nautilus Associates, and a group of specialist investors have formed a new specialist marine services company – Seabed and Offshore Solutions.

The new business is based at OrbisEnergy in Lowestoft, the renewables hub for the East of England.

According to Orbis, the company is led by managing director Martin Sisley, who brings a wealth of experience to the role following previous senior positions as a managing director of James Fisher Marine Services, Red7Offshore, and Ocean Installer.

Sisley said: “We are thrilled to be launching Seabed Solutions after several months of developing the business concept. We know from discussions across the industry that there is a major gap in the seabed market for a solutions-focussed provider that really delivers what clients need.”

Orbis added that the new company would bring technical skills required for offshore oil and gas and renewables assets under one banner.

“Seabed Solutions will do things a little differently. We are offering our clients an impartial and independent assessment of their problem, developing and implementing innovative and cost-effective solutions,” Sisley added.

The company will provide a wide range of services to the offshore wind, wave, tidal and oil & gas industries as well as associated infrastructure.

Johnathan Reynolds, managing director of Nautilus, said: “We are delighted to be launching Seabed Solutions at such an exciting time for the offshore energy industries, with some of the world’s largest offshore renewables projects operating and under development immediately off the UK coast.”

The UK currently has around 7.8 gigawatts of offshore wind operational capacity, and this figure is climbing all the time.

Latest industry forecasts from Nautilus Associates suggest more than £43 billion ($54.8 billion) in capital investment will be invested in new UK offshore wind projects by 2040. To support this new infrastructure, annual operation and maintenance budgets will reach in excess of £2 billion ($2.55 billion) by 2025.