BP deck operations contract a first for Sparrows Group in UKCS

Sparrows Group has announced the award of its first contract to deliver deck operations services in the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS) from supermajor BP.

The contract builds on the Aberdeen headquartered company’s existing long-term relationship with the E&P organisation to become a single point of contact for all lifting and handling operations across its Andrew, Clair Ridge, ETAP and Glen Lyon platforms in the region.

Under an existing agreement, which was renewed in 2015, Sparrows has been providing crane maintenance and operations services to BP in the North Sea for over 45 years.

This new scope of work will see Sparrows’ deck crew fulfil multiple roles including load handler and banksman/slinger to support lifting operations and carry out bulk handling and management of all cargo on the assets. In addition, the crew will undertake helideck and emergency response functions as necessary.

Stewart Mitchell, chief executive officer of Sparrows said: “We have successfully delivered deck operations for over 15 years’ on FPSOs and platforms in African waters, including for BP Angola on the Plutonio and PSVM. This award demonstrates the strong relationship we have with BP globally and our previous experience will be key in executing these first contracts in the UKCS.

“Having worked with BP for a number of years providing crane maintenance and operations we have an unrivalled knowledge of the assets, enabling us to provide a consistency of service across both contract scopes. Extending our services to deck operations is a natural progression for us and gives our clients confidence that all safety critical lifting and handling operations will be managed by one specialist contractor.”