SEAFAST
SUPERIOR MARINE SUPPORT, ABOVE AND BELOW THE SURFACE Powered by Inside Oil & Gas
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SEAFAST
I PROFILE
SUPERIOR MARINE SUPPORT
ABOVE AND BELOW THE SURFACE
Seafast group of companies provides the right people, skills and equipment to successfully deliver projects of any size in the oil and gas, renewables, marine, shipping, nuclear and civil engineering industries. Hannah Barnett spoke to Managing Director of Seafast Maritime Iain Beaton and Operations Director of Fort William Underwater Trials Centre John MacLellan to find out more.
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eafast supplies vessels for marine
S
Trials Centre (UTC) in Fort William, which all
projects, helping to create long-term
now operate together under the Seafast
relationships with a diverse range of
umbrella. As a result, where in the past
clients including commercial organisations
Seafast relied on subcontractors, the
and government agencies. The company
company now offers a breadth of services.
has worked with some of the largest main
“We are proud to provide a turnkey
contractors and blue-chip clients world-
service and it is something that clients
wide, earning them an enviable reputation
like,” said Iain Beaton, Managing Director.
for high-quality, safe work.
“Instead of them bringing in three or four
The group consists of Seafast Maritime, its
different contractors, we are now a one-
sister company Caldive and the Underwater
stop-shop. This reduces a huge amount of risk and makes the clients, lives easier.”
A brief history of Seafast The company started in 2002 as Caldive, then a small diving contractor. In 2018, the company bought a large offshore vessel, Isle of Jura, geared towards renewables service, anchor handling, dredging, towing, hose handling and surveys. “That was the first step in a long journey,” said Mr Beaton. “Now, we’re diving off our own vessels, the projects that we’re undertaking are increasing in number and scale, and we’re growing the fleet.” In the same year, Seafast took over the assets of a former underwater training company in Fort William and the successful UTC was born.
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SEAFAST
I PROFILE
According to Mr Beaton, the way
Excellent services
Seafast has evolved is more serendipitous
Testing new equipment and methodology
than strategic: “In the last few years, we’ve
is vital work in an offshore environment,
seen ourselves turn – without ever plan-
whether it be oil and gas, or renewables
ning it, into a marine services group – pro-
related. With four inspection-class Seaeye
viding divers, ships and ROVs, as well as
Falcon ROVs available to hire at its UTC in
underwater trials.”
Fort William, the company has added
The company also has an ongoing
another feather to its cap. All chartered
joint venture with survey company SEP
systems have trained pilot technicians
Hydrographic, which provides its in-house
and a support crew.
marine survey capability. Seafast’s growth
The unrivalled location, facilities and
and expansion is supported by a healthy
support at Fort William are designed to
£9.2 million turnover.
help companies large and small get the
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very best from their testing programme.
subsea, whereas it would probably take
The facility offers testing and evaluation
a diver much longer to locate something.
services for anything subsea – from
We’re not restricted so much by depth or
autonomous vehicles, through to rescue
bottom time, though we are restricted by
submarines and any other type of
dexterity getting in and about.”
subsea instrumentation. “The underwater testing and evaluation
ROVs provide the supervisor an overall picture of the dive site that is more efficient
trials company is pretty special,” said
than each diver wearing a camera. The pic-
Mr Beaton. “There is not another facility
ture can also be used to assess the safety
like it in Europe. We have clients come to
of the divers in a restricted space.
us now from all over the world to use the
However: for Seafast, autonomous
facilities at Fort William. That part of the
vehicles exist to complement the work
business is growing very rapidly.”
of humans, not replace it.
John MacLellan is the Operations
“We’ve just finished a project where
Director, overseeing Fort William UTC.
divers and ROVs were working together
He explained how the company maintains
from one of our vessels, at an offshore
its good track record partly thanks to
floating wind farm,” said Mr Beaton. “This
the benefits of working with ROVs: “The
new technology supports the renew-
biggest advantage is that we can use
ables sector. The ROV was able to carry
SONAR on the vehicles to locate assets
out the work that was too deep for the
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SEAFAST
I PROFILE
divers, while working alongside them. It
companies that look after our transport, our
was a great combination, and means the
ship maintenance and our electronics. And
divers are still there to do the jobs that are
it’s the same people that we’ve used for 20
more hands-on.”
years or more. They are usually local to us
Reflecting the times, renewables are now
as well.”
a large part of Seafast’s business too. The
Another vital aspect of Seafast’s success,
company started in the sector supporting
is the tenacity of those that run it. “We have
the construction of new wind farms and
a trustworthy reputation, and are known
installation of subsea cables. Nowadays,
for our quality and transparency,” said
it is more involved in the offshore mainte-
Mr MacLellan. “I think we tick all the boxes.
nance and repair side, which will continue
We are not a big company, but we have a
to form an important element of the com-
very good team of highly skilled individuals.”
pany’s future growth strategy.
“The most significant part of our operation is our team,” Mr Beaton agreed. “We have
Strength in numbers
our site guys, our divers, our vessel people,
Seafast has built strong, long-term rela-
our supervisors and the management. And
tionships with its supply chain: something
all of that is supported by an unbelievably
which the company owes a portion of its
capable admin system. The office here is so
success to. “Having a network of trusted
well run. Truly, the capability that we’ve got
suppliers is hugely important to us,” said
in-house is phenomenal.”
Mr Beaton. “We have companies that look
Seafast is clearly well-equipped to con-
after all our steel fabrication. We’ve got
tinue its trajectory of strong, sustainable
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growth. The company also has goals to expand its staff, continue to expand the range of services on offer and increase marketing promotion, which drove a recent visit to SPE Offshore in Aberdeen in September. Ultimately, though, it is the skill with which Seafast delivers its services that makes the company so dynamic. “It’s great to be able to provide a service that can actually solve an individual’s problems,” Mr MacLellan said. “Knowing a customer is happy with my project, having completed the scope successfully, on time and on budget, is very rewarding.” “I like meeting new challenges,” Mr Beaton concluded. “It’s great when we have the chance to tackle something with an element of challenge about it: and doing it with such a good team, with all this capability and enthusiasm behind me ensures a successful outcome. It is tremendous. After decades working in this industry, for me, the buzz is still there.”
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