Subsea inspection, repair, maintenance and light construction specialist Harkand has confirmed the acquisition of the main assets and business of Veolia Marine Services (VMS).

The deal was first unveiled in May this year, and will see Harkand add 150 onshore and offshore staff, three dynamically-positioned multi-purpose vessels (MSV) and six work-class remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) to its workforce and fleet.

The company says the acquisition expands the group’s international reach by adding a Houston operation with an established track- record in deepwater inspection, repair and maintenance in the Gulf of Mexico.

Chief executive officer Nicolas Mouté said: “We are delighted to confirm the closing of the transaction. With its complementary deepwater experience and established presence in the USA, this move cements our position and reinforces our ambition of becoming a global market leader.”

Harkand was only launched in February this year through the merger of Iremis, Integrated Subsea Services (ISS) and Andrews Survey following investment by Oaktree Capital Management. After the acquisition of Veolia Marine Services, and through its organic growth initiatives, the group now employs close to 1,000 people at bases in Aberdeen in the UK, Houston in the USA, Dubai in the Middle East, Singapore and Perth in Asia Pacific, and Paris in France. The group aims to grow turnover to US $1 billion in the next five years.

The assets included in the transaction are the DP2 multi-purpose support vessel Swordfish with a nine-man saturation diving system and two Triton XLS ROVs onboard; the DP3 multi-purpose support vessel Viking Poseidon, with two Triton XLS ROVs onboard; and the DP3 multi-purpose support vessel Normand Pacific with two Triton XLS/XLX ROVs onboard.

Offshore