Ellon-based Marin Subsea Winning Underwater
Virtually in parallel with the development of Britain’s offshore crude oil production sector, George (Boris) Stroud and his partner Nick Sills have worked to forge new directions and more importantly, to develop ideas and equipment to meet the challenges of subsea dredging and planned intervention, beneath the cold waters of the North Sea and in the oceans of the world, wherever the search for oil goes on.
Sills, a saturation diver by vocation and Stroud a driller with a fascination for the sea and its underwater secrets, teamed up to harness the power of water below the waves, pioneering in the process the development of the earliest mass flow excavation (MFE) technology.
Stroud is rightly proud of their efforts in navigating the tough road their pioneering efforts created for them, many critics not convinced that the concept of mass flow excavation had grounds in physics or real engineering potential; or a real future.
“Our 30 years of determination to succeed eventually proved how right we were and today, the latest generation of tools and techniques – a product of our ongoing and research and development – make Marin Subsea (formerly Seavation) the first choice in any project requiring subsea excavation expertise, bespoke equipment and solutions, or advice in tools or services.
“We have it all under one roof, and the input of the cream of MFE world experts that fully understand the business, including the commercial side and the environmental side. Nick and I were the founders of CRM, Underwater Excavation Ltd and SeaVation where we began developing excavation tools and operating them worldwide. Companies like Fishers were built using our tools. Today we are a ‘household name’ in the business and our clients, big names in the business -Trans Ocean, Sonsub, Saipem, Gobal, PTT and Halliburton are but a few of our valued clients,” says Stroud.
He was quick to point out the various partners have invested as much as 2 million pounds sterling in equipping the company with tools, headquarters, hard standing storage, fabrication facilities and staff to enter the market and hit the ground running with serious intent.
“We are genuine market leaders and serious players and even ahead of the November 6 launch, we have been busy as far afield as Brunei, Australia, Angola and the North Sea with a wide range of work already on the books.”
“This is a game we can comfortably win.”
But the burly Shetlander is quick to point out Marin don’t just provide the operational skills and tooling.
“Undoubtedly we have an unrivalled track record using the largest available selection of tailored mass flow excavation tools and diver hand-held tools, but we also offer our customers tailored solutions from design of equipment to manufacture, right through to testing and operation on site. This can be carried out either in-house or onsite globally, and our expertise is best proven in specialist subsea excavations.
“Marin Subsea is the latest generation to host our expertise (the partners Sill and Stroud sold Seavation to Norway’s AGR in 2006) and we offer clients a clear understanding of what MFE excavation equipment can do at location and how best to get the job done.
“We have the right people with the relevant experience even if your requirement is just for us to supply you a client representative overseeing MFE, or to be contracted to operate as part of your team. We try these days to make sure you have the right equipment for the job and point you in the correct direction to get the job done, no matter how tough it might appear at first glance.”
Marin Subsea also offer third party equipment for hire but own and operate their own SeaVator, Hydro-Digger, Jet Prop, and other proven water-jetting and clay-cutting tools.
“Right now, in partnership with industry experts, we are focussing on broadening our range and inventory of ROV excavation tools. We won’t only deal with rental but will advise on how to get the job done. Right now we have the people to get the job completed on budget and on time.”
Another ace-up-the sleeve is Marin Subsea’s status as the only company in the world with the experts in the recovery of assets that have been lost while drilling or working offshore, from BOP units to wellheads, X-mas trees or jack up rigs stuck in situ.
Stroud personally heads up this specialist team on call 24/7/365 days a year to service the often critical requirements of offshore clients.
“Our emergency response team and equipment are ready to go at the drop of a hat which gives our clients comfort in the knowledge that we are experts in field.”
Already Marin Subsea are contracted to support key clients worldwide in specialist excavation and recovery.
In October 2008 Marin also became inshore JET sled operators in Asia. There they are now operating the Sam 001 sled with equipment and teams, ready to deal with the difficult conditions in global inshore waters from shore and landfall to as much as 1 km offshore.
This venture was born after Samson Subsea Trenching entered into discussions with Marin Subsea whereupon Marin Subsea Ltd agreed to take a 60% stake in Samson.
Alan Samson, JV managing director comments: ‘It’s a perfect fit for Samson and in Marin we have the support now to fully service the industry while our SAM 001 jet sled can be supported by quality rental equipment that’s required to trench near shore for our clients. We are already looking at a revised design ready to be purpose built to suit the growing range of shallow-water challenges.”
Marin Subsea successfully concluded the Samson Marin rental and acquisition agreement August 2008.
