Category: News

Evie joins SMC as an Office Administrator, having spent the previous 5-years working within the pharmaceutical industry. At SMC she will initially be engaged in an apprenticeship scheme, alongside her daily responsibilities for the business, as she looks to bolster her already substantial catalogue of experience.

Evie is the 4th full-time recruit to join the SMC head office team in recent months and will provide valuable support to the administration and operations teams as the company continues to enjoy consistent and sizeable growth within the offshore sector.

SMC have successfully completed confined space and structural inspection works at the Gunfleet Sands Windfarm Offshore Substation on behalf of Transmission Investment and TC Gunfleet Sands OFTO Ltd.

Gunfleet Sands, based roughly 7km from the coast of Clacton-on-Sea in the United Kingdom, consists of 48 WTGs with a total operating capacity of 172MW. The site represents familiar territory for SMC, who had a strong involvement during the construction phase, working with the windfarm turbine assets owner, Orsted (formerly DONG Energy).

SMC Operations Director, Dean Coates, commented, “we were extremely grateful for the opportunity to work with Transmission Investment on this project and hope to continue to build on this relationship in the coming years. Our Inspection and Maintenance division has seen significant growth in recent years, and this is another important step as we continue to gain valuable experience in-field”.

Transmission Investment’s Asset Manager stated, “Transmission Investment have been impressed with the professionalism in both the preparation and execution.  SMC’s strong foundation as Health and Safety consultants produced a comprehensive planning for the project.   Along with experience and competency of the onsite personnel it all resulted in what could have been a challenging confined space project running very smoothly”.

Andrew joins SMC as Senior Consultant following a 10-year career with Swire Pacific Offshore; most-recently acting as Chief Mate on-board the Pacific Orca across construction of the Beatrice OWF in Scotland. Andrew is a Master Mariner with experience working on some of the world’s largest Jack-Up installation vessels, having been deployed offshore since 2001 and bringing with him a detailed knowledge of marine and HSE management, with a particular emphasis on jack-up operations.

Simon joins SMC as QHSE Manager and boasts a comprehensive range of QHSE experience both onshore and offshore. Originally working as an HSE Officer for the North Eastern Fisheries Committee, Simon harnessed his knowledge of the HSE world and was able to successfully transfer his skillset for the benefit of the offshore wind industry. Simon has now been working in the sector for over 8 years, most recently providing his services to Scottish Power Renewables as an instrumental figure in the delivery and implementation of HSE processes across the East Anglia 1 OWF.

Brooklyn joins SMC as Project Coordinator and will work as part of the SMC operations support team, managing personnel training, certification and logistics, and acting as a direct point of contact for clients and suppliers. Brooklyn comes to SMC from Welcome to Yorkshire, where she had a direct involvement in the planning of the renowned “Tour de Yorkshire”, playing an integral role in staff resourcing and logistical management for the event.

SMC Operations Director, Dean Coates, commented, “We’re extremely pleased to welcome Andrew, Simon and Brooklyn to the SMC team. After a long and diligent recruitment process, all three candidates absolutely stood out and made our decision a simple one. It’s even more pleasing to have been able to recruit locally and we look forward to working with all three for the years to come. It is an extremely exciting time for SMC, with the recent establishment of our Taiwanese branch and further expansions planned in the coming months and years. Andrew, Simon and Brooklyn will be an integral part of our continued growth”.

SMC have been named the Humber Renewables Awards 2019 Small Business of the Year.

After winning the Queen’s Award for Enterprise 2018: International Trade for exemplary performance between 2015 and 2017, SMC have enjoyed yet another record breaking year of revenue and are now active on a multitude of renewables projects throughout Europe, Taiwan, China and the USA.

In the past year, SMC have increased both the Technician and Consultancy divisions of the business, in addition to undertaking pioneering software research and development programs that will ultimately improve the safety and efficiency of offshore operations.

Currently, SMC are delivering 10 separate Marine Coordination projects simultaneously, a feat matched by no other company, with the most recent addition to the company’s portfolio being Taiwan’s first commercial offshore windfarm, Formosa I.

The award judges stated that strong growth globally and a fervent commitment to local content had influenced their decision to honour SMC with this award. SMC’s strong involvement locally was also commented on, with services delivered to the Humber Gateway, Race Bank, and Hornsea 1 & 2 offshore windfarms, regular donations made to local charities and organisations, and 100% of employees sourced from the local area.

Following the award, SMC Business Development Manager, George Moore, said, “We are extremely pleased and humbled to win this award. Although we provide services on a global scale, our history and many of our future opportunities remain in the Humber region. It is an extremely exciting time for the area and we are seeing it rightly portrayed as a world-renowned example of what can be achieved in this industry through collaboration and, importantly, ambition. It’s terrific to see the investment and interest in the Humber from all corners of the globe, and we’re just glad to be able to play our part in what is becoming a true success story”.

SMC will deliver full scope Marine Coordination services to Taiwan’s flagship offshore wind project; Formosa I Phase 2. The project will comprise 20 6MW Siemens Gamesa WTGs and will become Taiwan’s first commercial offshore windfarm, with an eventual capacity of 128MW.

The contract award follows the recent establishment of an SMC branch in Taiwan, with the company firmly committed to the region and the development of local skill sets through a series of ongoing training and educational programs. 

SMC’s Managing Director, Ian Coates, commented, “SMC have a strong history working across a series of the world’s flagship offshore wind projects and we are extremely pleased to have secured a contract to support yet another pivotal development in what will become a key market within the sector. We look forward to working with the Formosa I team and continuing to deliver the highest standards of safety and quality in this emerging market”.

This contract includes the provision of coordination software and communications infrastructure. In keeping with SMC’s commitment to promoting local content, MDS, a local communications specialist, will be utilised to provide expert support to SMC for the duration of the contract. MDS have great experience in delivering communications, coastal radars surveillance and spectrum monitoring & DF solutions in-country, having previously delivered systems integration and services to the Taiwanese military, rail network, public safety (police & firefighter) and coastguard, amongst others.

SeaPlanner’s Marine Management System is being employed by SMC’s Marine Coordination team, with Steve Pears, SeaPlanner Managing Director commenting, “SeaPlanner is currently employed on a significant percentage of the world’s offshore wind turbines and we are pleased to extend our coverage and support SMC on this milestone project, representing the first formal Marine Coordination contract undertaken in Taiwan”.

Following the establishment of SMC’s branch in Taiwan, SMC are set to deliver Client Representative services to the Formosa I (Phase 2) Offshore Windfarm. The services will be provided across a range of installation scopes, including cable, foundation and WTG installation.

SMC are now supplying a range of support services to Formosa I, which phase 2 will comprise 20 6MW Siemens Gamesa WTGs, located off the coast of Chunan Town, Miaoli County. The Formosa 1 project is currently a joint venture project of Orsted (35%), JERA Co Inc (32.5%), Macquarie Capital Group Ltd (25%) and Swancor Co., Ltd (7.5%). It will become Taiwan’s first commercial offshore windfarm with an eventual capacity of 128MW.

SMC’s Operations Director, Dean Coates, commented, “We are extremely pleased to build upon our relationship with FOWI. Our pioneering support in this emerging market is something we are very proud of and further emphasises our commitment to the region, as well as our capacity to deliver within it. We have been working with FOWI for a number of weeks now, delivering full-scope Marine Coordination services, with the addition of Client Reps being a logical complimentary step to take as we support the project in the safe coordination of marine construction activities”.

Following a series of successful missions to Taiwan and building on the recent receipt of the Queen’s Award for Enterprise: International Trade 2018, SMC have established a branch in Taipei, further strengthening their commitment to the region.

In addition to signing several MOUs with local partners throughout 2017/18, SMC have continued to grow their presence in the market, securing a number of contracts to provide services to the area’s emerging offshore wind sector.

SMC’s new branch, “英商專業海洋顧問有限公司台灣分公司” will be managed by the company’s Operations Director and SMC Taiwan Regional Manager, Dean Coates, who had this to say:

“We are extremely pleased to reach what is yet another significant milestone in the growth of SMC, globally. Taiwan represents a key market for the company, and we look forward to building upon our presence here in the coming years. We bring great experience assimilated from our works on some of the world’s most significant offshore wind projects and we will look to focus our knowledge and lessons learnt whilst developing key skills for local people and communities”

SMC have already delivered a range of services to the Taiwanese market, including high-level consultancy and HSE support to multiple developments and clients. Further announcements are expected in the coming months.

SMC have completed a full inspection of Seajacks’ self-propelled jack-up vessel, Zaratan, ahead of her deployment to Taiwan in the coming weeks.

Both SMC and Seajacks have a keen interest in Taiwan’s offshore wind market. SMC are already delivering a range of services to the region and Seajacks’ Zaratan will be utilised as an installation vessel in the coming months for construction of Taiwan’s first commercial offshore windfarm, Formosa I (phase 2).

Zaratan was designed specifically to support wind farm installation projects and has now been inspected by SMC on three separate occasions, in addition to hosting SMC’s offshore construction personnel during development of the world’s furthest offshore windfarm, Veja Mate Offshore Project.

With an 800T capacity crane and 2,000m² deck space, Zaratan has succeeded in establishing itself as the leading candidate to support Taiwan’s flagship commercial offshore windfarm.

SMC have now provided over 2000 vessel inspections globally, several of which have been delivered across the Seajacks fleet over the past decade. SMC’s catalogue of experience in providing vessel inspection and marine consultancy services to the offshore industry has allowed for strong growth in Taiwan, with the company currently supporting a number of projects in the region.

SMC Managing Director, Capt. Ian Coates, completed this latest inspection and stated, “the Zaratan is a vessel with which we are extremely familiar, and it is a pleasure to continue to work with our long-standing client, Seajacks. We will be keeping a close eye on the vessel’s activities in Taiwan as we anticipate further successes for her in the region in the coming years”.

Seajacks’ Operations Manager, John Vingoe,

“Seajacks have an excellent working relationship with SMC, built up over years of working together throughout inspections of our fleet of 5 self-propelled jack-up vessels. SMC provide a reliable service which Seajacks are happy to continue utilising.”