Aker Solutions moves north
1 December 2011 - As the chase for oil and gas moves further north, the oil services industry follows. Today Aker Solutions announces plans to establish a large engineering office in Tromsø as part of the company's northern Norway strategy.
The new office will gather knowledge and expertise related to the northern region. It will become involved in engineering and maintenance and modification projects on the entire Norwegian continental shelf and abroad, and be an integral part of Aker Solutions' international competence network.
"We believe in the reserves potential on the Norwegian continental shelf and in the Arctic. If the marked continues to develop positively and we are successful in our efforts to win work with customers in the region, we believe that we will have a substantial engineering hub in the North with 2-300 employees in three to five years," says executive chairman of Aker Solutions, Øyvind Eriksen.
The establishment of the Tromsø office is part of Aker Solutions' overall strategy to increase the company's footprint in the northern regions of Norway, driven by an increasing number of interesting field development opportunities offshore northern Norway and in the Barents Sea.
Aker Solutions have worked closely with suppliers in northern Norway for many years. The Tromsø office will now develop a sourcing strategy for Aker Solutions in northern Norway and further strengthen our relationships with suppliers in the north.
Tromsø is the largest city in this part of Norway and a regional centre with good connections to other key locations in the north and to other Aker Solutions offices in Norway. The university in Tromsø is becoming increasingly involved in oil and gas related research and education programmes, which is expected to fit well with Aker Solutions' future competence requirements.
Elsewhere in northern Norway, Aker Solutions is in the process of building up a subsea service base - housing engineers, technical staff and field operators - in Hammerfest to support the Goliat subsea field development. Aker Solutions has also recently acquired the Narvik-based well technology business X3M Invent. Aker Solutions is also considering establishing an engineering office in Sandnessjøen to support the company's modifications and operations services business.
"In June the Norwegian government announced a petroleum policy that clearly spelt out an expectation to the oil industry that activity at sea should have ripple effects on land through job and value creation. We support this drive because it makes business sense to both us and our customers," adds Øyvind Eriksen.
Aker Solutions is currently looking for suitable permanent office premises in the city. Recruitment for engineers for the Tromsø office will also start this winter.
Aker Solutions today has offices and operations in the following Norwegian locations: Arendal, Asker, Bergen, Egersund, Fornebu, Hammerfest, Horten, Kristiansand, Kristiansund, Lier, Midsund, Moss, Narvik, Oslo, Porsgrunn, Stavanger, Trondheim and Ågotnes.
ENDS
For further information, please contact:
Media:
Geir Arne Drangeid, EVP Communications, Aker Solutions. Tel: +47 67 51 30 36, Mob: +47 913 10 458
Investor relations:
Lasse Torkildsen, SVP Investor Relations, Aker Solutions. Tel: +47 67 51 30 39, Mob: +47 911 37 194
Suppliers:
For further information about sourcing and potential subcontracts for this project, please visit www.akersolutions.com/suppliers
Career opportunities:
Visit http://www.akersolutions.com/careers
Aker Solutions ASA, through its subsidiaries and affiliates ("Aker Solutions"), is a leading global oil services company that provides engineering services, technologies, product solutions and field-life solutions for the oil and gas industry. The Aker Solutions group is organised in a number of separate legal entities. Aker Solutions is used as the common brand/trademark for most of these entities.
Aker Solutions' parent company is Aker Solutions ASA. Aker Solutions has aggregated annual revenues of approximately NOK 35 billion and employs approximately 18 200 people in about 30 countries.
This press release may include forward-looking information or statements and is subject to our disclaimer, see www.akersolutions.com.
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