With the gradual recovery of the submarine telecoms industry becoming apparent, last year the senior management of three shallow water specialist companies decided that the time was right to re-form General Offshore. Before it had been amalgamated into the Cable and Wireless Marine organisation in the mid 1990’s, the original General Offshore had established a high reputation as a professional shallow water installation company that was capable of operating effectively world-wide. It is our aim that the re-formed General Offshore Ltd (GOL) should not only re-establish this reputation – but exceed it.
Rising Anew From The Ashes By Andy Shaw
The three companies that provide the resources for the new General Offshore are: Wellington Offshore Ltd (wholly owned by Maritime & Underwater Security Consultants Ltd), Falmouth Divers Ltd, and Pelagian Ltd. The majority of the management within GOL have worked for the original General Offshore Corporation/ General Offshore UK, and Falmouth Divers is a well established international diving company that has consistently provided diving support for General Offshore UK’s installation operations since 1991. By combining our skills, experience and resources we are able to provide the offshore cable installation industry with an exceptionally capable and well tried shallow water installation service world-wide. Our companies have offices strategically situated in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Far East and the USA in order to provide effective support to GOL’s operations world-wide. Through Maritime & Underwater Security Consultants Ltd, GOL also has the financial backing of ICTS, one of the security industry’s leading international companies. GOL’s head office is on board the HQS Wellington, moored along the Victoria Embankment in London. Since its re-formation, GOL has had an excellent response from the industry. During the last quarter of 2005, the company successfully completed a contract to provide shallow water support for the removal of some 70 cables and to install a further 20 cables in the Western Approaches. GOL is currently preparing for cable installation operations in the Channel Islands, which will include the installation of 3 pre-laid shore
ends using two of our vessels and our burial tool GOJET. Strong project management skills, good engineering and clarity of reports are considered by General Offshore to be the most important aspects to any project to ensure that it is completed safely, on time and within budget - whilst giving due regard to the environment and local interests. In order to ensure consistency and reliability, we manage our project in accordance with ISO 9000 standards. We have extensive experience in locating and fitting out suitable locally based vessels in order to provide our client with the best and most cost effective solution. As a result, we have established contacts world-wide to assist us in finding these vessels. When we charter vessels, they are managed by General Offshore personnel to ensure a seamless operation for the duration of the project. Similarly, if our own burial equipment will not provide the optimum solution, we have first hand experience of a wide range of burial tools – capable of jetting and rock cutting work – and we will select the best machine available for the job. We have the in-house expertise to engineer and install direct and indirect shore end landings with all necessary burial and remedial works. Not only do our resources include shallow water vessels and burial equipment, we have around forty personnel available from within the organisation to support our ongoing and future projects. These personnel include project managers, engineers, superintendents, riggers, burial machine operators, divers, cable technicians and all the necessary officebased administration and technical staff to support the on-site operations. We are therefore looking forward to re-establishing the name of General Offshore as one of the leading shallow water installation contractors serving the world-wide sub-sea cable market. 45