£1.5m fire cladding deal for Mech-Tool Engineering

Jan 14 2009 by Andrew Mernin, The Journal

A COMPANY specialising in explosion and fire protection has clinched a £1.5m contract during construction of a platform in the North Sea.

Mech-Tool Engineering, of Darlington, will supply stainless steel external fire wall cladding for a new living quarters platform for BP Norge AS, as part of the Norwegian firm’s Valhall Oil Field re-development.

Mech-Tool has seen its workforce grow from 100 to around 160 staff in the last two years and bosses say the latest contract will help guarantee work for six to 12 months.

The contract is also expected to create jobs at the company’s head office in Whessoe Road, Darlington, and manufacturing centres in Darlington and Middlesbrough.

Ian Farquharson, general manager of Mech-Tool’s fire and blast wall products division, said: “In respect of fire and blast protection, it is arguably our most prestigious contract to date and will take standards of offshore accommodation to a new level in terms of both safety and comfort.”

The new living quarters will include 180 single-bed cabins, to replace to multiple occupation rooms on Valhall’s existing Quarters Platform.

Mech-Tool will supply 4,800sqm of fire-rated stainless steel cladding that will effectively form a protective skin around the nine-storey platform.

The Valhall field, which began production in 1982, has oil reserves to 2050, estimated at 247 million barrels.

It expects to start production from additional exploration in 2010.

The new accommodation will replace an existing platform, which has been home to workers since 1979.