InfraStrata plc, which owns Harland & Wolff shipyard, has acquired the assets of the Scottish offshore energy fabrication company Burntisland Fabrication Limited (Bifab)
Describing the acquisition of assets and leases as “highly strategic”, the company said it has acquired “two sites in prime Scottish locations with particular regard to renewable, oil and gas and defence projects,” Methil on the east coast of Scotland and Arnish on the west coast.
However, the Burntisland site will not form part of the transaction.
Both sites will trade under the Harland & Wolff brand and become part of its fabrication footprint in the UK. The two Scottish sites will work alongside Harland & Wolff’s sites at Belfast and Appledore.
Through the acquisition, Harland & Wolff now has multiple fabrication sites, which it says will result in reduced fabrication timelines of as much as 30%, “offering project developers a faster route to project monetisation and derisking fabrication projects by spreading work across three distinct but close-proximity geographies.”
With over 25,000 m² of undercover fabrication capacity, 580,000 m² of total site area and 24,000 tonnes of quayside load-out capabilities, the two sites boasts an annual throughput tonnage estimated at over 100,000 tonnes.
Methil, the larger of the two sites, will be heavily focused on fabrication for the oil and gas, commercial and renewables markets, while Arnish lends itself to multiple opportunities across all Harland & Wolff’s five markets: defence, oil and gas, renewables, commercial and cruise and ferry.
InfraStrata chief executive John Wood said, “With this acquisition, we now have a footprint in Scotland, which is the hotbed for major offshore wind projects as well as for shipbuilding programmes. We have now positioned ourselves strategically across the UK with four sites capable of servicing our five core markets.
“This acquisition gives us the flexibility to optimise our operations and offer clients the ability to fabricate faster and derisk their exposure by offering multiple sites. As we move into larger contracts, it is crucial that we demonstrate the capacity to bid for and deliver on these projects.
“The acquisition of Bifab’s assets delivers that capability to us and will open up a larger demographic of tender opportunities.”
Regarding the Methil and Arnish sites, Mr Wood said, “I am confident that we will turn these facilities into highly successful businesses that generate jobs and investment into their local economies in due course.”
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