Peterhead Business Forum - industry overview

Supporting Northeast Businesses

Peterhead Industry Overview
Peterhead Industry Overview
Due to Peterhead's location on the Northeast corner of Scotland, a vast experience of Oil and Gas industry support has been built over the past 35 years. In the early days Peterhead's large deepwater harbour of refuge was utilised by pipe-laying barges of Brown and Root, McDermott and even the mighty Thor, which at the time was the largest gross lift crane barge in the world. Since those early days a vibrant support industry evolved, from medical supplies to bespoke engineering processes.

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Fishing Industry
Despite large reductions in the UK white-fish fleet due to a decommissioning programme since 2001, the industry finds itself in a stronger position, with surviving vessels being rewarded with significantly higher fish prices (£1500 / tonne in 2007 compared with £800 / tonne in 2004) and reports of healthier fish stocks.

As well as white fish, 2006 saw Peterhead become the biggest Pelagic port in Europe. The total value of fish landed at Peterhead during 2006 was £107 Million split as follows:
Pelagic: £49 million
White fish: £52 million
Shellfish: £6 million

Photo courtesy of Budding Rose

In recognition of Peterhead's continued support to a recovering industry, Peterhead Port Authority are currently embarking on the Smith Embankment Development costing £32 million, which will provide an additional 135 metre Quay for the Pelagic trawlers; since the level of traffic and size of vessels (some over 90 metres long) have outgrown the existing 57 metre long facility. An additional 95 metres of jetty space will also be created by this project, by the extension of the Albert Quay. (further info available from the Peterhead Port Authority website)

Peterhead resources include:
Civil Engineering
Joinery
Building Contractors
Protective Coating
Electrical Engineering
Instrumentation
Quality Consultants
Mechanical Engineering
Marine Bases
Lifting & Rigging
Plant & Tool Hire & Sales
Crane Hire
Offshore Valve Fabrication & Refurbishment
Specialist Blasting Services

During 2007, several top Peterhead businesses have grouped together to launch a combined assault on the North Sea Oil & Gas industry decommissioning market estimated to be worth $20 billion (Source: Mike Corcoran, Technical Director of The North Sea Abandonment Handbook). A new company has been formed; Peterhead Decommissioning Ltd., which includes the following companies:
Score
Asco Group
Stoneyhill Waste
Les Taylor Group
Dales Engineering Services
GFG Shotblasting
Enviroco
John Lawrie Group
Aquatic Ltd.

Their intention is to focus on "small piece" decommissioning rather than large scale total-project decommissioning. With 500 jackets and a high number of gravity based platforms, the North Sea has one of the world’s most compact collections of fixed platforms. They will leave their mark on the global market in the near future. In the 2007-2009 period, the number of North Sea platforms destined for decommissioning will rise from 7 to a total of 22, according to figures from data analyst Infield. Growth will mainly come from the British and Dutch side of the North Sea, while the NCS will leave its mark in 2013 with the removals of structures on the Ekofisk field.