Harland & Wolff shipyards owner InfraStrata has acquired the assets of the Scottish-based offshore energy fabrication company Burntisland Fabrication (BiFab).
InfraStrata said the acquisition of assets and leases spans two sites – Methil on the east coast of Scotland and Arnish on the west coast of the country.
It added that the Burntisland site will not form part of the transaction.
Both sites will trade under the Harland & Wolff brand and will work symbiotically alongside Harland & Wolff Belfast and Appledore.
“Now through the acquisition, Harland & Wolff has multiple fabrication sites ultimately resulting in reduced fabrication timelines by as much as 30% – offering project developers a faster route to project monetisation and de-risking fabrication projects by spreading work across three distinct but close-proximity geographies,” InfraStrata said.
The two sites have over 25,000 square metres of undercover fabrication capacity and total site area of 580,000 metres squared.
They also have 24,000 tonnes of quayside load-out capabilities and have annual throughput tonnage estimated at over 100,000 tonnes.
The company said that Methil, the larger of the two sites, will be heavily focussed on fabrication for the oil and gas, commercial and renewables markets, while Arnish has multiple opportunities across all Harland & Wolff’s five markets – defence, oil and gas, renewables, commercial and cruise and ferry.
InfraStrata chief executive John Wood said: “With this acquisition, we now have a footprint in Scotland, which is the hotbed for major wind farm projects as well as for shipbuilding programmes.
“We have now positioned ourselves strategically across the UK with four sites capable of servicing our five core markets.
“This acquisition gives us the flexibility to optimise our operations across the Group and offer our clients the ability to fabricate faster and de-risk their exposure by offering multiple sites.
“As we move into larger contracts, it is crucial that we demonstrate the capacity to bid for and deliver on these projects.
“The acquisition of Bifab’s assets delivers that capability to us and will open up a larger demographic of tender opportunities.
“Finally, I wish to warmly welcome the personnel whom we have taken on at Methil and Arnish and I am confident that we will turn these facilities into highly successful businesses that generate jobs and investment into their local economies in due course.”