Aker to buy Norway engineering firm Sandnessjøen
Aker Solutions has acquired Norwegian engineering company Sandnessjøen Engineering, Aker said on Thursday, seeking to strengthen its presence in northern Norway and grow its engineering capacity for offshore projects.
Over the past 20 years, Sandnessjøen Engineering has established an experienced team, which supplies engineering and project management services to the oil and gas and construction industries in the area.
The company is located in the Petro Næringshage in Sandnessjøen, Norway, a central location for services to several oil and gas fields in the Norwegian Sea.
"We are pleased that this team now becomes part of Aker Solutions and our rapidly growing engineering network,” said Tore Sjursen, head of maintenance, modifications and operations in Aker Solutions. With the acquisition, Aker Solutions gains a firm foothold in the region, and we hope to grow.
"Our ambition is to double the company's workforce from the current 24 over the next couple of years,” he added. “The pace of growth will of course depend on our success in the market and our ability to recruit first-class team members, but generally our markets are strong.”
In December 2011, Aker Solutions announced the establishment of a new Tromsø office.
Sandnessjøen Engineering will work closely with this office as well as Aker Solutions' other engineering hubs throughout Norway, officials said.
The company becomes part of a global engineering and competence network which has foothold in more than 30 countries and a workforce of over 18,500 people.
Aker Solutions in Sandnessjøen will continue to be headed up by Halvard Lie, who has been managing director for Sandnessjøen Engineering.
The business will still be based at its current premises in Sandnessjøen.
"We have had a good dialogue with Aker Solutions and we believe will see many positive effects by becoming part of such a large oilfield products, systems and services company,” said Lie.
“We believe Aker Solutions will offer better opportunities for growth than we would have been able to achieve as an independent company," he added.
Aker Solutions is acquiring the legal entity Sandnessjøen Engineering, whose owners are Alsten Management, Maritime Ventures and Rana Skipsaksjeselskap.
The deal is expected to be completed in mid-February. Transaction value was undisclosed.
"Although we did not have any plans of selling the company we believe Aker Solutions will be a better home for Sandnessjøen Engineering," said Brynjar Forbergskog, chairman of the board of the majority owner company Maritime Ventures.
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