Aurora Energy Services pursues acquisition trail by snapping up Caithness-based Northern Marine Services (Scotland)

An Aberdeen-headquartered service provider to the global energy sector that launched this year has purchased a third Scottish firm, creating jobs, and says it is working on its first international acquisition.

From left: Aurora Energy Services boss Doug Duguid, Northern Marine Services owner Alasdair Noble, and Aurora Energy Services operations director (UK North) Dave Duguid. Picture: Alison White Photography.

Aurora Energy Services has snapped up Caithness-based lifting and inspection firm Northern Marine Services (Scotland) (NMS) as part of its bid to become a £100 million business in the next five years.

NMS provides non-conventional lifting, inspection, logistics and marine services, with customers including SSE, Subsea 7 and a number of windfarm, hydro power, telecoms and rail network names. It was founded in 2017 by Alasdair Noble, who will continue to lead the rebranded Aurora NMS as lifting and marine services director. The new business is set to roll out its niche services across the UK, and expects to create up to ten jobs in the next three years.

Aurora said its large Inverness facility, which also hosts the Renewable Energy Training Centre, is to supplement NMS’s Wick operation as well as enhancing mobilisation times on client operations. The deal, terms of which were not disclosed, follows Aurora snapping up Huntly-based R&M Engineering and Inverness Access Training Services.

Aurora chief executive Doug Duguid – a co-founder of oil and gas services company EnerMech, which in 2018 was sold to Carlyle Group – said: “Alasdair Noble has built an excellent business across a number of diverse sectors and NMS’s strong track record in renewables aligns well with our own ambitions of becoming a leading energy services provider.

“The strong links NMS enjoys with major wind farm operators and in the infrastructure sector is something that we can support and strengthen, and we believe Aurora’s growing reputation in those areas can, in turn, act as a springboard for continued success.”

Mr Noble said: “With investment from Aurora, we can drive forward the business in ways which were simply out of reach previously, and we are excited that we will be able to offer opportunities for the local workforce in Wick not just locally, but internationally, as Aurora NMS grows its market share and geographic reach.”

Aurora, which has 175 staff and expects to turn over £20m in 2023, has also invested in developing a full design engineering function at its base in Aberdeen, and plans further expansion in Blyth and Great Yarmouth in the coming months.