Venterra Group has acquired Oceanscan Holdings, a group of companies providing subsea and non-destructive test equipment, geotechnical services and specialist personnel to the offshore energy market.
Venterra says Oceanscan is 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.
Oceanscan is headquartered in Aberdeen, Scotland with overseas subsidiaries in Houston and Singapore. Additionally, it has four U.K. 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 personnel to Tier 1 offshore wind contractors, offering expertise in geophysical and cable route surveys as well as in pre-construction activities for the renewables sector.
- Hydrographic Personnel Resources (U.K.), 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 wind farm 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 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.
“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,” says Ed Daniels, CEO of Venterra Group.
“We’re looking forward to welcoming Oceanscan into our team and delivering enhanced value to our clients.”
