Northern Ireland marine services co-operative expands into French waters thanks to £9million contract

Kilkeel-based marine services provider SeaSource Offshore has expanded operations into the Bay of Biscay off the west coast of France after being awarded a multi-million contract by French energy firm ENGIE.

The Northern Ireland co-operative owned by local fishermen has turned over more than £100million since its inception 12 years ago and provides guard vessels as well as survey and crew vessels for offshore commercial developments.

The work includes the installation of wind turbines and cable-laying on the seabed which is assisting in the installation of an offshore substation to process electricity generated by wind turbines before being cabled to shore where it joins the French national grid.

SeaSource Offshore chief executive Brian Chambers says the contract worth £9million over four years is clear evidence that the company’s reputation as an international class marine services firm is acknowledged.

“In the last two years we have been winning similar contracts for offshore renewable energy developers in the English Channel off the coast of France,” explained Mr Chambers. “This Yeu-Noirmoutier project which is not far from the mouth of the Loire River on the Atlantic littoral takes us further than we have ever been.”

SeaSource Offshore marks its 12th year in business and recently added new vessels to its inventory brining the fleet size up to 35. The vessels are converted fishing boats which can now operated dual functions: fishing and marine servicing.

“Kilkeel’s fishing fleet was under intense pressure following years of restrictive fishing quotas and as a collective group with help from Invest NI we created SeaSource Offshore to sweat our assets,” explained Mr Chambers.

“The expertise of our boat owners and fishers and their knowledge of the sea and the seabed was quickly converted into a valuable asset we could shape and refine for use in the other parts of the marine economy including cable-laying and wind turbine installation.

“In the last 12 years we have become a well-known marine services provider for utilities-scale developments in the Irish Sea, North Sea, English Channel and now the Atlantic."

In order to continue growing the business SeaSource Offshore now recruits local, skilled fishermen and women on local vessels across Europe. “This guarantees to give us the most knowledgeable and properly equipped crew,” he added. “This in turn benefits the local economy and provides us with the best value for money. By using local, knowledgeable and skilled fishermen, we have built good relationships with local industries, ports and communities.

“The management experience gained from operating in European marine environments gives us a unique understanding of the challenges and opportunities available to coastal communities and their fishing vessels and also provides project developers the opportunity to maximise requirements to include local content.”

SeaSource Offshore’s operational control centre in Kilkeel supports crew training, health and safety and compliance needs.