A Norwegian positioning services firm has invested £500,000 to establish an Aberdeen office with plans to create 30 jobs.
iSurvey Group, which provides positioning services for rig moves, marine construction and seabed surveys has launched a new offshore division as part of its UK growth plans.
The Oslo-based group has recruited Andrew McMurtrie as its UK managing director.
Mr McMurtrie began working in the industry in 1990 as an offshore surveyor. He moved into sales and business development in 2004 working for Andrews Survey, Nautronix, DOF Subsea and most recently NCS Survey.
iSurvey said the Aberdeen-based office would support clients operating in the UK North Sea and other regions, including the Mediterranean and Africa. Recruitment has started and it plans to have 30 staff in place by the end of 2014.
Mr McMurtrie said: “I am delighted to join iSurvey as ambitious plans for UK expansion are set out. My experience lies in business development and supporting companies to extend their offering to new markets, and I am very much looking forward to driving the growth of iSurvey.”
iSurvey Group was founded in 2004 by a seven-strong management team and has grown to almost 100 employees in Oslo and its recently-established base in Singapore. Turnover last year reached £14million.
Clients include Statoil, Maersk, ExxonMobil, Nexans and Island Offshore.
“iSurvey Group already has a well-established global reputation for survey and positioning, which provides the new offshore division with an excellent platform for growth. Setting up this base in Aberdeen demonstrates our commitment to expanding operations in the region and from here, we will continue to offer world-class support for our clients’ project requirements,” Mr McMurtrie addded.
Last year private equity firm Norvestor took a majority 70% stake in the firm.
Company co-founder and chief executive Øivind Røegh said the investment would take the company “to the next level”.