Great Yarmouth-based international energy services company Proserv has officially launched a global research and development (R&D) hub in Norway to design innovative subsea controls and communications technologies.
This new group strengthens Proserv’s rapidly evolving international infrastructure in support of its subsea production systems business which includes facilities in the UK providing subsea systems test and assembly in Aberdeenshire and subsea controls systems design & manufacture in Norfolk.
This state-of-the-art R&D facility at Trondheim, Norway, represents a significant investment for the company and features an advanced electronics workshop spanning 500 sq m², a technology showroom for demonstrations and 1100 sq m² of office space for 50 new offices.
Chief executive officer at Proserv, David Lamont, said: “The R&D facility represents another major milestone in Proserv’s exceptional growth story. The centre will serve as a global hub for all of our subsea communications & controls R&D activities, which are at the core of our business, and where we will develop fit-for-purpose systems and solutions that are reliable, efficient and delivered in an ingeniously simple way for clients around the world.
“As Norway’s capital of technology, Trondheim was a natural fit for our R&D hub. It is home to The Norwegian University of Science and Technology and SINTEF, the largest independent research institute in Scandinavia, plus there is a large presence of energy companies based in the city.
“New technology is the life-blood of Proserv and through the work of our talented engineering team in Trondheim, we aim to expand the Group’s R&D capabilities. Some of the most exciting developments we are currently involved with are in the subsea controls and communications market and we see demand for these products and services growing significantly.
“In line with Proserv’s R&D plans, we are continually recruiting talented people to support our order pipeline and expanding technology portfolio, further reinforcing our commitment to growth and prosperity globally.”
The County Mayor of Trondheim, Tore Sandvik, who joined representatives of Norway’s business and energy community to mark the launch of Proserv’s facility, said: “It is of immense value to the city of Trondheim that companies like Proserv choose to place their global research centre here. Large investments like this create new opportunities for our technical community here in Trondheim, and demonstrate that Norway really is at the forefront of new technological innovations globally.”
Proserv is recognised for its innovations. The Trondheim team developed Proserv’s Seahawk™ in-situ video surveillance system, a ground-breaking technology for environmental monitoring including retrofit on brownfield subsea installations.
The technology can be installed on a subsea Christmas tree or manifold to provide visual monitoring of potential leakages. High-quality video is taken by the camera which uses image analysis to detect gas leakages. It can provide an automatic warning through the customer’s SCADA system and alerts the operations team to use the Seahawk™ to focus in on the area of concern without the need of subsea intervention. The Seahawk™ was developed as a permanent alternative to the costly and time-consuming method of deploying remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) subsea for the monitoring of assets offshore.
Proserv, which is headquartered in Westhill, Aberdeenshire, is a leading global provider of production technology services to the energy industry. The company operates worldwide from 30 sites in six geographical regions namely North UK & Africa, South UK & Europe, Scandinavia, the Americas, Middle East & North Africa and the Far East & Australia and currently employs over 1,700 people globally.
