ROVOP growth follows the successful completion of a pipeline installation campaign in Mexico with Drebbel de Mexico, which has led to follow-on work (photo: ROVOP)

Independent subsea remotely operated vehicle (ROV) service provider, ROVOP, is set to increase its Houston workforce as a result of further business growth including recent contract wins in the Gulf of Mexico region.

The growth follows the successful completion of a pipeline installation campaign in Mexico with Drebbel de Mexico, which has led to follow-on work.

The initial project with Drebbel involved the use of an ROV for concrete mattress installation for the first time in Mexican waters.

As a result of the successful project, ROVOP and Drebbel will work together again on another new scheme with a large multi-national service operator to provide ROV services for pre-lay survey, riser inspection and crossing fabrication with concrete mattresses.

Both projects build on ROVOP’s track record for delivering inspection, maintenance and repair (IMR), decommissioning and installation projects in the US Gulf of Mexico, Brazil, Venezuela and Mexico as well as West Africa and South East Asia over the last three years.

In support of these project wins, ROVOP – which currently employs around 135 people globally – continues to actively recruit for its full service Western Hemisphere base in Houston and anticipates increasing its workforce by up to 10% this year.

This latest success closely follows the firm’s recent announcement that it had secured more than USD 4 million in contract wins spanning the North Sea, Gulf of Mexico, West Africa and Europe.

President of ROVOP’s Houston operations, Wayne Betts, says, “We are particularly pleased with our performance in the initial contract with Drebbel because with safety being of paramount importance, precisely positioning the mattresses in zero visibility meant that we eliminated the risk to divers by deploying one of our high-performance ROVs and expert operators. We look forward to working together on future projects.

“ROVOP is bucking the trend in an industry by adjusting to the lower oil price and increasing focus on efficiencies to meet our customer’s needs. In Houston, we have seen a steady growth curve since inception and we expect that to continue for the rest of the year.”

ROVOP also supports industry education and collaboration in the US.

Betts says, “We supported the first Marine Technology Camp in Traverse City, Michigan, by sharing our knowledge with tomorrow’s industry pioneers. This proved an excellent platform for demonstrating how better collaboration, communication and education can support the younger generation and ultimately benefit the sector in the long-term. ROVOP also plans to further support education by making a solid contribution to industry events in and around our area and are committed to strengthening our position and contribution to the region.”

Tags: Drebbel de Mexico, ROVOP