Venterra announces acquisition of Oceanscan

Venterra Group Plc, the offshore wind services business, today announces the acquisition of Oceanscan Holdings Limited, a leading group of companies that provide subsea and non-destructive test equipment, geotechnical services and specialist personnel to the offshore energy market.

Oceanscan is highly complementary to Venterra’s service lines, particularly within its Geoscience and Survey teams, which are underpinned by the expertise of its companies: Ordtek, Partrac and Gavin & Doherty Geosolutions (GDG). The addition and integration of Oceanscan into the Group places Venterra at the cutting edge of offshore subsea equipment and offshore sensing technology. Oceanscan’s capabilities, asset base, and technical knowledge will help to reinforce Venterra’s position as providing one of the most comprehensive survey offerings in the market.

Founded in 1989 by Ken Hunter, Oceanscan is headquartered in Aberdeen with overseas subsidiaries in Houston and Singapore. Oceanscan Holdings Limited has four UK subsidiaries:

● Oceanscan Limited from its Aberdeen office hires and calibrates hydrographic survey and ROV sensors and non-destructive test equipment. Operating from its Lowestoft office, the company also supplies highly skilled personnel to Tier 1 offshore wind contractors, offering vital expertise in geophysical and cable route surveys as well as in pre-construction activities for the renewables sector.

● Hydrographic Personnel Resources (UK) Limited based in Inverurie delivers specialist personnel for offshore renewable energy projects with a focus on supporting construction and inspection campaigns.

● Geoforce Technical Services in Suffolk provides cone penetration testing services for measuring in-situ soil conditions for offshore windfarm developments.

● Sercal Non-Destructive Test Equipment near Birmingham is a UKAS accredited calibration business providing repair, sales and calibration services to the rail and power generation industries.

Venterra’s acquisition of Oceanscan has been underpinned by a fifth successful equity raise, including General Atlantic’s BeyondNetZero and First Reserve’s further equity investment of £30m, as well as through securing access to £110m of bank facilities from HSBC, NatWest, Rabobank and Citibank to facilitate future growth.

Ed Daniels, CEO of Venterra Group, said: “Oceanscan’s extensive fleet of high-quality sensing equipment and in-depth geotechnical experience supports our aim of providing the most technologically advanced and complete set of development services and solutions to the offshore wind industry. We’re looking forward to welcoming Oceanscan into our team and delivering enhanced value to our clients.”

Derek Donaldson, CEO of Oceanscan, said: “Joining Venterra gives us a bigger platform from which to grow faster and across an even wider range of offshore wind markets. Combining our specialist equipment and geotechnical experience with the expertise that exists within Venterra means we will be able to offer an even more robust set of survey and geosciences services with greater international reach.”

Ken Hunter, Founder and Managing Director of Oceanscan, added: “Oceanscan’s history and core values of safety, innovation and continuous improvement align fully with Venterra. I am proud of the journey that we’ve taken, and I look forward to watching the company’s future get even brighter under the leadership of Derek and the Venterra team.”

Venterra was formed to create a global services champion supporting the offshore wind industry’s rapid expansion and leading role in the energy transition. It is building a service offering across the wind farm lifecycle comprising Engineer, Build and Support services and solutions through a combination of acquisition and organic growth.

Ends

Media Enquiries:

Stiofain MacDaibhead, Venterra

+353 86 3298700

stiofain.macdaibhead@venterra-group.com

Notes to Editors:

Venterra Group Plc was formed in 2021 as a dedicated offshore wind services platform, supporting the industry’s rapid expansion and leading role in the clean energy transition. Comprised of highly technical service providers with expertise and experience across the planning, build and support phases of the offshore wind farm lifecycle, Venterra Group and its 700+ global workforce is providing services to developers and installation contractors that reduce project risk, time and cost. For further information please visit www.venterra-group.com.

Other

Although our personnel division primarily concentrates on several key disciplines, we frequently recruit for additional roles not explicitly mentioned. 

In addition, out sister company HPR (UK) supports other disciplines not listed here

For a representation of current vacancies, please join OCEANSCAN VACANCIES

 

Technicians

The role of offshore technicians involved in lay operations is essential for the successful installation, maintenance, and operation of offshore energy infrastructure. These technicians are responsible for executing the intricate tasks involved in laying pipelines, cables, or other equipment beneath the seabed.

  • Electrical / Electronic Technician
  • Hydraulic / Mechanical Technician
  • Carousel Technician
  • Plough Technician
  • Trenching Technician

For a representation of current vacancies, please join OCEANSCAN VACANCIES

 

Survey

When offshore energy infrastructure needs to be designed, developed, maintained or decommissioned, the role of the survey team is to provide precise positioning, data acquisition and processing to measure and map underwater surfaces and study the morphology of the seabed.

  • Client Survey Representative
  • Project Manager
  • Party Chief
  • Reports Coordinator
  • Surveyor
  • Survey Engineer / Geophysical Engineer / Geotechnical Engineer
  • Data Processor
  • Cartographer
  • Geophysicist

For a representation of current vacancies, please join OCEANSCAN VACANCIES

 

Health & Safety

For Health & Safety roles and requirements please contact HPR (UK) website

For a representation of current vacancies, visit our linkedIn HPR (UK)

 

ROV, Plough & Trench

When offshore energy infrastructure needs to be installed, maintained, inspected or decommissioned, the role of the ROV team is to operate the ROV equipment and associated tooling. The ROV is the survey platform and is key to the operation carrying a payload of tools and or sensors that are required to fulfil the work scope.

  • Client ROV Representative
  • Project Manager
  • ROV Superintendent
  • ROV Supervisor
  • Sub Engineer
  • Senior ROV Pilot Technician
  • Tooling Technician
  • ROV Pilot Technician
  • Plough Superintendent
  • Plough Technician
  • Trenching Superintendent
  • Trenching Technician

For a representation of current vacancies, please join OCEANSCAN VACANCIES

 

Rigging & Lifting

For Rigging & Lifting roles and requirements please contact HPR (UK) website

For a representation of current vacancies, visit our linkedIn HPR (UK)

 

Offshore Management

Offshore Management encompasses various personnel engaged in Subsea & Renewables projects, including roles like OCM/OPM/OVM.

  • Offshore Manager
  • Client Representative

For other offshore management roles and requirements please contact HPR (UK) website

For a representation of current vacancies, please join OCEANSCAN VACANCIES or visit our linkedIn HPR (UK)

 

Marine

For Marine roles and requirements please contact HPR (UK) website

For a representation of current vacancies, visit our linkedIn HPR (UK)

 

Inspection

Certified 3.3U and 3.4U inspectors perform a range of tasks in the industry, including general visual inspections (GVO), close visual inspections (CVI), corrosion monitoring, pipeline inspection, and monitoring diver safety.

  • Client Inspection Representative
  • Inspection Engineer
  • Inspection Coordinator
  • Data Recorder
  • Data Coordinator
  • Reports Coordinator
  • Video Eventer/Reviewer

For other inspection roles and requirements please contact HPR (UK) website

For a representation of current vacancies, please join OCEANSCAN VACANCIES or visit our linkedIn HPR (UK)

Diving

Commercial diving work scopes are undertaken from multiple platforms and cover many different activities, such as installation, inspection, repair and maintenance of platforms and subsea structures.

The type of diving operation can be either surface supplied or saturation diving.

  • Saturation Supt / Supervisor
  • Life Support Supervisor
  • Life Support Technician
  • Air or Sat Dive Technician
  • Air Supt / Supervisor

For a representation of current vacancies, please join OCEANSCAN VACANCIES