Venterra acquires Oceanscan

Oceanscan is highly complementary to Venterra’s service lines, particularly within its Geoscience and Survey teams, which are underpinned by the expertise of its companies: Ordtek, Partrac, and Gavin & Doherty Geosolutions (GDG). The addition and integration of Oceanscan into the Group places Venterra at the cutting edge of offshore subsea equipment and offshore sensing technology. Oceanscan’s capabilities, asset base, and technical knowledge will help to reinforce Venterra’s position as providing one of the most comprehensive survey offerings in the market.

Founded in 1989 by Ken Hunter, Oceanscan is headquartered in Aberdeen with overseas subsidiaries in Houston and Singapore. Oceanscan Holdings Ltd has four UK subsidiaries:

• Oceanscan Ltd from its Aberdeen office hires and calibrates hydrographic survey and ROV sensors and non-destructive test equipment. Operating from its Lowestoft office, the company also supplies highly skilled personnel to Tier 1 offshore wind contractors, offering vital expertise in geophysical and cable route surveys as well as in pre-construction activities for the renewables sector.
• Hydrographic Personnel Resources (UK) Ltd based in Inverurie delivers specialist personnel for offshore renewable energy projects with a focus on supporting construction and inspection campaigns.
• Geoforce Technical Services in Suffolk provides cone penetration testing services for measuring in-situ soil conditions for offshore windfarm developments.
• Sercal Non-Destructive Test Equipment near Birmingham is a UKAS accredited calibration business providing repair, sales and calibration services to the rail and power generation industries.

Venterra’s acquisition of Oceanscan has been underpinned by a fifth successful equity raise, including General Atlantic’s BeyondNetZero and First Reserve’s further equity investment of £30 million, as well as through securing access to £110 million of bank facilities from HSBC, NatWest, Rabobank and Citibank to facilitate future growth.

Ed Daniels, CEO of Venterra Group, stated: “Oceanscan’s extensive fleet of high-quality sensing equipment and in-depth geotechnical experience supports our aim of providing the most technologically advanced and complete set of development services and solutions to the offshore wind industry. We’re looking forward to welcoming Oceanscan into our team and delivering enhanced value to our clients.”

Derek Donaldson, CEO of Oceanscan, added: “Joining Venterra gives us a bigger platform from which to grow faster and across an even wider range of offshore wind markets. Combining our specialist equipment and geotechnical experience with the expertise that exists within Venterra means we will be able to offer an even more robust set of survey and geosciences services with greater international reach.”

Ken Hunter, Founder and Managing Director of Oceanscan, said: “Oceanscan’s history and core values of safety, innovation and continuous improvement align fully with Venterra. I am proud of the journey that we’ve taken, and I look forward to watching the company’s future get even brighter under the leadership of Derek and the Venterra team.”

Venterra was formed to create a global services champion supporting the offshore wind industry’s rapid expansion and leading role in the energy transition. It is building a service offering across the wind farm lifecycle comprising Engineer, Build and Support services and solutions through a combination of acquisition and organic growth.

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