Highlighting its expertise in the energy sector at this year’s Offshore Europe exhibition is Semco Maritime. Offering more than 40 years of experience, this engineering and contracting company excels in comprehensive project management for any energy-based project. Managing Director and UK Country Head, David Hutchinson perfectly summarised why Semco Maritime is so successful. Report by Imogen Ward.
ASthe world’s largest provider of EPC for offshore renewable substations and an expert in the operation of offshore maintenance and modifications, Semco Maritime has mastered both sectors, ready for when the two collide.
“Semco Maritime is unusual as a company because it is well positioned in both renewables and oil and gas. We are prepared for when they both meet in the electrification of the North Sea and other regions around the world,” Managing Director and UK Country Head David Hutchinson explained. “We are ready for when that time comes.”
Established in 1980, Semco Maritime took the oil and gas industry by storm, forming a reputation for excellence as an engineering, procurement and construction contractor. Now, the company is making waves across the renewables sector and, with new group targets in place for 2027,
the company plans to facilitate a revenue split of 65% renewables and 35% oil and gas.
Perpetuating partnerships
An exciting development in 2019 witnessed the creation of PBS Offshore (a consortium between Ponticelli, Brand Energy & Infrastructure Services and Semco Maritime).
Initially established for five years, the partnership has been successfully operating for four. PBS was created to collate the knowledge and experience of all three companies, and it currently provides the general maintenance and operations of all Total E&P UK Limited’s sites. This includes Elgin and Franklin, Culzean and Aliza FSO, Gryphon FPSO, Alwyn and Dunbar, and the Shetland Gas Plant.
“The PBS contract looks after the seven assets of Total that are situated in the North Sea and the Shetlands,” said David. “The contract was initially put in place for five years however, there is scope for a possible two-year expansion.”
With the PBS consortium a success, Semco Maritime UK decided to relocate
to a new office in Aberdeen where the facility placed the company in a prime location that was close to the PBS office and existing Semco Maritime clients.
“Although the move has positioned us closer to our PBS partnership, the new facility has also expanded our capabilities,” David explained. “We have successfully increased our employee headcount and traversed outside of our traditional engineering and service capabilities.”
Located in Westhill, this facility has also provided the business with a geographical
advantage for its other projects, including the maintenance of the Noble Innovator Jack-Up Rig earlier this year. Berthed at the Port of Aberdeen’s South Harbour, the 647ft tall rig benefitted from a range of Semco Maritime’s services, including project management, upgrades, modifications and hull rebranding.
In the oil and gas sphere, Semco Maritime has also recently entered a strategic partnership with BlueNord (a Norwegian independent international petroleum company). With the hope of
identifying and investigating opportunities within the sector, this partnership will pursue pre-established operations contracts as well as the development of new oil fields. Semco Maritime will be trusted with the dayto-day operations of topsides plus general maintenance and procurement.
“Our business sees huge value in partnerships and collaboration agreements,” said David. “That’s how we have developed as a company, and we are constantly on the lookout for new opportunities, that will enable us to grow. The BlueNord agreement is a great example of that: they’re a com pany that we believe we can work hand-in-hand with to advance our services.”
Racing into renewables
With the scope to further expand its reach within the offshore renewables sector, Semco Maritime already has an impressive track record of building 24 offshore wind substations and servicing 55 wind farms since 2002.
The largest, and perhaps most significant in the US, is part of Vineyard Wind. As the first commercial-scale offshore wind project in the US, Vineyard Wind is under construction off the coast of Massachusetts. Once complete, the project will have the capacity to generate enough energy for 400,000 homes.
As the world’s largest provider of EPC for offshore renewable substations, Semco Maritime was perfectly equipped to engineer the project’s Electrical Service Platform.
“Seven substations in the US were awarded to Semco Maritime,” said David. “The largest one, Vineyard, was delivered to the north-eastern seaboard of America earlier this year.”
Advancing on its goals, the company has also been heavily involved in Project Greensand. Located in Denmark, this world-first project successfully captured carbon in subsea depleted wells.
“Project Greensand is unique,” David noted. “This is the first time anyone has attempted to do this into a subsea depleted well, and as of 2023, we have successfully captured more than 800
tonnes of CO2. Transporting the CO2 cross-border to the Nini field in the Danish North Sea, we have provided infrastructure on the back of the vessels to support offshore operations. Semco Maritime supports many decommissioning projects, so we truly understand the importance of helping to clean up the North Sea, and it’s a cause we fully support.”
Sustainability at sea
On the topic of North Sea clean up, the company is also developing Powerto-X hydrogen-based technologies: “I see Power-to-X as one of the future elements
of Semco Maritime – we will be involved in technology that can help with the ocean clean up,” David explained. “This will help with the world’s progression towards net zero.”
Semco Maritime is preparing for involvement in multiple future net zero projects, using engineering, offshore manpower and new technologies. This is an ongoing objective that aligns nicely with the company’s 2027 strategic targets.
In 2021, the company developed a new sustainability strategy which outlined its personal emission-related objectives. Notably, Semco Maritime’s aim is to become scope one and two carbon neutral by the end of 2023. To achieve this, the company is committed to reducing its energy consumption, with programmes in place at each of Semco Maritime’s offices worldwide. The company has also committed to the purchase of green electricity from Denmark.
“We are on track to meet our targets for 2023,” David said. “Our scope one and two carbon emissions are now down to double digits, and we are working tirelessly alongside governments, utilising best practices to get those figures down.”
Going forward, Semco Maritime plans to continue improving its environmental impact. The company also aims to expand its customer presence and is looking to source additional potential partnerships at Offshore Europe 2023. “We really enjoy working on collaborative projects, and events are a great place to establish these,” David said. “This year, we are exhibiting at Offshore Europe alongside our PBS con -
sortium partners, Ponticelli and Brand Energy & Infrastructure Services.
“I think the world after the pandemic is a different place, but one thing that we must do is go and develop more business together, to meet each other again and really understand the issues of our clients.
“We appreciate the support we get because we are continually looking at ways of developing the company here in the UK,” he concluded. “We really enjoy working with clients and our supply chain. Thanks to them, we can create better solutions and innovative ideas for the industry. Semco Maritime has always been a very humble company with a strong customer focus. That will never change.” n
