AKVA Marine Services new General Manager, Karl-Johan Ferkingstad, aims to build on what AKVA Marine Services does best: Offering professional marine, cleaning and diving services with a high degree of flexibility.
Recently, the administration of AKVA Marine Services moved into new premises at Torvastad in the municipality of Karmøy, Norway. The company’s mechanical department, which carries out ongoing maintenance and repairs, will follow shortly.
“Last year we had a turnover of NOK 117 million, which is a 20 percent increase from the year before. We’ve recently hired several new divers and strengthened our administration to stand better equipped for further growth,” says Karl-Johan Ferkingstad, who took on the leadership role in March.
Professional teams
The service company has its largest customer base within the aquaculture industry, but also carry out assignments for e.g. entrepreneurs, vessel companies and the rig industry. The jobs range from net cleaning to diver inspections and mechanical subsea work.
(All images: Øyvind Sætre/AKVA group)
“Good equipment and skilled employees is the key to success. Today, we have 19 boats in operation, including two large workboats and a high speed ROV boat. The work boats have cranes, winches and a considerable load capacity, which makes them qualified for larger operations such as cleaning cage rings, changing nets, mooring and more. One of the work boats is currently operating on contract for Marine Harvest, while the other boat, MS Nora Victoria, is available with crew for ongoing assignments,” the General Manager says.
The high speed ROV boat is equipped with a Sperre ROV (SUB fighter 10k) for subsea operations, in addition to a smaller inspection ROV. This boat enables the company to quickly respond to clients’ urgent needs.
Both the work boats and the ROV boat are serviced by permanent teams working a rotation schedule. In total, the company has close to 60 employees, mainly professional divers, net cleaning personnel and technical service personnel.
“Being fresh in the role of General Manager, it’s reassuring to be surrounded by so many skilled employees. That makes me confident that we’ll be able to reach our ambitions of gaining an even better foothold in the marine service market,” says Karl-Johan Ferkingstad.
Great degree of flexibility
In addition to the office and workshop at Torvastad, AKVA Marine Services also has two land bases with boats, equipment and break facilities – one at Bokn, Rogaland and one at Vestvik, Hordaland. The company serves customers from Stavanger in south to the Sogne Fjord in north, but most of the jobs takes place in the waters off Hordaland County.
“We also have a diving boat stationed in Leirvik, Sogn og Fjordane, with is operated by personnel on a rotation schedule. We put emphasis on being available, thus proximity to the customers is an important premise,” Ferkingstad points out.
Traditionally, AKVA Marine Services has been an operative company that’s been able to quickly respond to customers’ urgent needs. This flexibility shall remain a value that AKVA Marine Services is known for, even though the organisation is growing fast.
“Flexibility is an important part of our culture and I’m proud to have colleagues who go to great lengths to help our customers. Many years of experience from the oil and gas industry has helped us establish good HSE routines. We will continue to focus on safe work operations and invest in good equipment to do our job as efficiently as possible,” Karl-Johan Ferkingstad concludes.