Milestones

Cammell Laird has signed an ambitious new agency agreement aimed at ramping up the company’s profile in the thriving marine and offshore markets in Scandinavia.

The rapidly expanding Birkenhead marine and engineering services company, which has built some of the world’s most famous ships, has appointed Octagone AS shipping consultancy to act as their sole agent in Norway, primarily to win more repair and conversion work on Norwegian vessels operating near the UK.

Paul Ashcroft, Cammell Laird’s technical manager, said the company is excited by the agreement as it will raise the profile of Cammell Laird, and the many benefits of using the company, with influential ship owners.

Mr Ashcroft said: “We have always had good relations with Norwegian owners and have done some important work in recent years including a multi million pound conversion job on the Nexans Skagerrak, cable laying vessel (see background notes). We see a real market to win more of this kind of conversion work, including offshore pipe and cable-laying vessels.

“Cammell Laird’s world class facilities include four dry docks, a large modular construction hall and extensive covered workshops. We have a huge breadth of experience and expertise in ship repair and conversion and we have a highly skilled workforce used to working on a broad range of vessels from naval ships to ferries to tankers to offshore support vessels. A key project which showcases our skills, capability and facilities for the conversion market is the building of the flight decks for the new HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH and HMS PRINCE OF WALES aircraft carriers. This is complex engineering demanding the very latest skills and techniques to build large modules of up to 1000 tonnes. This is precisely the kind of job that we will be looking to Octagone to promote. It shows the standard of work we undertake and what tremendous value for investment we can offer Scandinavian ship owners.

Mr Ashcroft added: “Octagone has an excellent reputation in Norway and many contacts in the country’s shipping sector. It has senior, expert staff with many years of experience including Svein Ditmansen, the managing director.

“Octagone now wants to expand its portfolio by offering ship repair and conversion facilities outside Norway. It really understands Cammell Laird and will highlight our broad experience and expertise to Norwegian contacts.”

Octagone is based in Tonsberg and was established in 2007 primarily as a new-build supervision company. It now provides consulting services globally to ship owners, managers and shipyards for new-build, conversion and repair work.

Mr Ditmansen said “We are delighted to work with such a famous engineering company as Cammell Laird. This agreement to represent foreign ship repair yards in the Norwegian market is a key part of our expansion.”