London, 21 April 2008 – PD Ports has announced the signing of a ten year land lease with North East based subsea contractor, CTC Marine Projects (CTC). This agreement cements an already established relationship between the two parties that has supported CTC’s four strong fleet for a number of years on the river Tees. CTC, who special ise in trenching for subsea pipelines, flow-lines and cables, operate from the PD Ports’ facility at Teesport Commerce Park in South Bank, Redcar. The site includes a heavy lift quay equipped with a 200 tonne crane and adjacent storage area for CTC’s state of the art trenching fleet and associated equipment.
Teesport has a long history of supporting the North Sea oil and gas industries. In addition to the facilities at Teesport Commerce Park, the port of Hartlepool has also long been associated with offshore work, in particular for the construction of new platforms and modules. In recent years the port has been regularly used as a spooling and fabrication facility for sub-sea pipelines.
PD Ports’ heavy lift quay facility at Teesport Commerce Park will be used as a supply base for the subsea contractor to undertake specialist offshore work. Based in Darlington, CTC employs 220 people and has an annual turnover of £55m. In addition to the berth and adjacent land CTC will also continue to lease a nearby warehouse for repair and maintenance of its sub-sea ploughs.
Graham Wall, Commercial Director – Teesport & Port Services, said: “This is a very positive new step forward for Tees Commerce Park and highlights Tees and Hartlepool’s growth potential in the offshore support sector. PD Ports plans to further promote its offshore service offerings this year at exhibitions in Houston, Texas and Aberdeen, aimed at generating other similar opportunities which will be of benefit to the Tees Valley and the local business community.â€
