Unique Maritime Group (UMG), based in Sharjah, UAE, has appointed Steve MacMillan as the global project director for its Diving Division. He also takes on the role of global QHSE director.

A spokesman said: “Steve’s main responsibilities will focus on managing and coordinating large and complex diving related projects through all phases of design, permitting and construction. He will also provide leadership for the regional site project management teams by managing, coordinating and developing UMG staff. In his role as director of QHSE, Steve will be responsible for developing and driving the company’s QHSE culture.”

STARTED

MacMillan started his early career in the diving industry in 1981 as an air diver, working out of Singapore. He then progressed to become a saturation diver and then a saturation supervisor. In 1995, he joined McDermott as an operations manager and ultimately became the company’s director of international diving.

MacMillan has played an active role in the diving industry; he is currently the IMCA Far East chairman, the IMCA Diving Division chairman and a vice chairman on the OGP Diving Industry Workgroup. “I am very excited to take up my new role at Unique Maritime Group as it is a renowned name in the diving sector for offering world-class products and services to customers globally,” he said.

Hydroid, USA, has officially opened its new, state-of-the-art manufacturing and applied research facility in Pocasset, Massachusetts.

The eco-friendly facility is 40,000 square feet (3700 square metres) and houses the company’s engineering, manufacturing and quality assurance operations. The building includes a 20-foot (six-metre) testing pool, a 6000-metre rated hyperbaric test chamber and a 289-kilowatt solar array.

EVENT

A grand opening event was hosted by Hydroid president Duane Fotheringham in October, with more than 200 guests in attendance.

“This building signifies a new chapter for Hydroid as we continue to cement ourselves as a leader in the global marine robotics industry,” said Fotheringham. “Hydroid’s rapid growth over the past few years has led to the expansion of both our staff and business, and this building enables us to consolidate our operations under one roof.”

The new facility is expected to accommodate 41 new jobs in 2014 to meet the needs of the company’s growing business. The company plans to build an additional 15,000-square-foot (1400-square-metre) administration building in 2015.

Miclyn Express Offshore (MEO) of Singapore has acquired the DP2 subsea vessel Windermere. The vessel was formerly owned by the now closed down Hallin Marine, Singapore.

Windermere is designed for wellhead servicing, inspection and construction diving and ROV support.

“This acquisition is a game-changing milestone in the evolution of our global business,” said Diederik de Boer, chief executive officer of the Miclyn Group. “Our ongoing fleet expansion programme remains a strategic priority for us as we enhance our service offering to clients across expanding geographies.

“Windermere enables MEO to offer a wider range of value-added services, thus reinforcing our commitment to the needs of our clients across expanding geographies and demonstrating our consistent industry leadership position.”

PROVIDE

Windermere boasts its own moon pool, a 15-man saturation diving system plus an air diving system. The vessel also has an active heave-compensated 50-tonne SWL knuckleboom subsea crane to provide true operating capability down to 1500 metres.

The vessel accommodates up to 120 personnel with on board facilities including a 700-square-metre deck, plus an elevated helipad at the bow.

Windermere has now been chartered for a five-year period to an unspecified subsea services provider in South East Asia.

Miclyn Express Offshore recently announced that in spite of recent oil price volatility it had lifted its forward order book to approximately US$800 million (GB£511 million), an all-time high for the company.