IHC Engineering Business has been successful in winning export orders to the value of more than £200 million ($328.06 M) over the past year.
The projects are being managed from the company’s office in Stocksfield, Northumberland, with further expansion and recruitment planned for 2014.
The most recent order by Petrofac is for the design and build of a 2,000-tonne capacity J-Lay subsea pipelaying system. This will be installed on a new deep-water construction vessel in 2016 to lay 36-inch diameter pipe in water depths of up to 3,000 metres.
This latest success follows on from the award in August 2013 of three large Flex-Lay systems for service in Brazil. These were won as part of a €1 billion order for integrated pipelaying vessels that are being designed and built by IHC Merwede. IHC EB’s impressive order book represents continued growth in highly competitive international markets for advanced pipelaying equipment that will be used in some of the world’s most challenging offshore environments.
IHC EB’s Managing Director Jon Dale said: “We have taken some huge steps forward with our plans for growth within the IHC Merwede group. In addition to a record order intake, we have seen significant development within all areas of the business.”
He also added that, “IHC EB is gaining increasing recognition as a leading exporter of high-quality offshore equipment and an employer of choice in the North East region’s important maritime market. The undoubted experience and expertise of our team is an excellent example of what the North East can deliver in terms of helping the UK’s recovery in the manufacturing sector.”