Subsea firm Rovop to take on 60 more staff

ABERDEEN subsea specialist Rovop expects to treble its workforce amid continuing ­demand for its remote operated vehicles (ROVs) across the offshore energy sector.

The jobs are being created in conjunction with a £15 million investment in additional equipment by Rovop, which will increase its staff from 30 to 90 over the next 18 months.

The company, which last month announced a series of new contract wins worth £7m, said the investment would allow it to secure further new work.

Set up in June last year, Rovop supplies underwater ROVs and operators used in the installation and maintenance of offshore structures.

It has seen particularly strong demand from wind farms, with recent wins for major projects in Belgium, Denmark, Germany and the UK.

Existing work is being serviced by the company’s current mid-sized fleet of machines, which was bolstered in August by the £2m purchase of two new Saab ROVs.

The five newest ROVs are described as “heavy-duty” machines, with the first to come into service in January.

Managing director Steven Gray, one of Rovop’s three co-founders, said the expansion was a “significant milestone” in the company’s development.

“Our new vehicles will enable us to carry out heavy work as well as more complex automated tasks subsea,” he said.

“The demand for our expertise and service continues to grow strongly and we expect that to continue as our fleet increases in size, power and capability.”

The company is spending an additional £250,000 on a new ROV simulator, which along with the other equipment is being supplied by FMC Schilling Robotics of California, which boasts 25 years’ experience of subsea engineering.