This spring, Lamor Group Ltd and Swire Pacific Offshore Limited (SPO) formed a 50/50 Joint Venture (JV) to provide effective and contemporary emergency oil spill response solutions for the oil and gas sector. The joint venture allows Lamor and SPO the opportunity to unite their core expertise into a single bonded global enterprise that will provide the oil & gas sector with the most cost effective and contemporary solutions to oil spill preparedness and response available anywhere on the market.
LSES will define a new era in seamless Tier I (local)/Tier II (national)/and Tier III (international) oil spill response. Strategically located cross-globe emergency response depots are presently established. These depots will be capable of offering guaranteed, safe and rapid access to Tier II and Tier III oil spill protection and combat resources. To supplement existing inventories in Finland, Singapore and West Africa, the JV has placed further orders for €10 million worth of emergency oil spill response equipment for initial deployment in the Middle East.
One-stop shop
The service will offer clients a one-stop shop for training, exercises, equipment, and tiered response supported by dedicated logistics and personnel deployed and trained to combat spills of national and international significance.
Commenting on the JV, Nico Larsen, Vice President, Lamor Group said: “Both companies have acknowledged a growing emphasis in the marketplace to developing environmental management capabilities, and in respecting that principal, Lamor has joined SPO to provide efficient responses to oil spills globally.” The target is to set up around 10 regional Tier 3 oil spill response centres. These Tier III centres together with the SPO fleet make fast establishment of several smaller Tier II level centres possible. SPO Managing Director JB Rae-Smith added: “With the increasing focus on the environment and the problems being caused by pollution, we have seen increasing requests from our customers for a more effective and comprehensive response to pollution related issues.
“LSES has been set up to cater to this demand and will enable SPO and Lamor to add considerable value to the services we currently provide by providing locally available oil spill equipment and staff trained in pollution control and clean-up”, he said.
Swire Marine Training Centre
The joint venture will also have access to the Swire Marine Training Centre which will become a centre of excellence for comprehensive pollution management training as part of the overall service offering.
The Joint Venture is unique in the sense that the SPO vessels will be equipped to handle the additional oil spill equipment and SPO officers and crews will be specifically trained in pollution response. JB Rae-Smith continues: “The key to the service offering is to combine Lamor’s experience in handling pollution response with global SPO’s network of vessels and people to provide an immediate offshore response capability.”
LSES – Equipment access and the means for faster mobilisation
Lamor Swire Environmental Solutions offers customers access to oil spill response equipment through the strategically positioned regional Tier III Offshore and Onshore oil spill response stockpiles, as well as provides the means through SPO’s offshore fleet to actually mobilise and provide faster emergency responses.