Culzean

Culzean is a high-pressure, high-temperature gas field located on the UK continental shelf, around 145 miles east of Aberdeen at a water depth of approximately 90m. As the biggest reservoir discovered in the North Sea for more than a decade, it was inevitable that there would be high demand for experienced professionals to capitalise on the find.

The primary contractors, Maersk Oil and Total, brought on board Semco Maritime - an existing client of Mane - to manage a proportion of the project. Thanks to previous high levels of delivery, Semco approached Mane with the opportunity to tender for the work. Following this, Mane was awarded a joint contract with another supplier to provide 150 workers to manage hook-up and commissioning at the offshore platform over a 12 month period. 

The contract was awarded in February 2018, with the first people beginning work in July 2018. There are currently 20 specialists on site, with Mane planning to supply in excess of 80 contractors at the job’s peak.  

Mane has been tasked with tapping into its extensive networks to recruit specialists for roles including electrical and mechanical engineers and senior technical specialists during the construction phase. During the commissioning stage, Mane will also supply further electrical mechanical engineers and senior technicians. 

This talent can be relatively difficult to come by as the experience sought is so niche. The client required complex electricians, with experience in working in a highly explosive environment – within rooms essentially filled with gas. However, Mane’s impressive track record in this sector meant that this was not an issue.  

Since winning the initial project, Mane has also began partnering with another long-term client, Aggreko, on the same project to supply generation engineers to manage power. Working in this way - supplying multiple clients on the same project - means that Mane can nurture healthy talent pools locally and build ready-made teams to move from job to job, which benefits clients and candidates alike.    

However, despite access to rich talent pools, working on this type of project has the potential to bring some challenges, particularly in terms of union involvement and the potentials for strikes. Mane insures against such issues by ensuring that all contractors are treated incredibly well through building transparent and honest relationships. Mane prides itself on its ability to offer full support to its talent – around everything from making sure that they are happy with the food and Wi-Fi to being assisted with emotional and family issues.

When 75 people from the same company are essentially living together in close quarters for a year, a project’s productivity, profitability and ultimate success relies on cohesive and contented teams. Thanks to the high calibre of candidates and the level of service that Mane provides, feedback from both clients and candidates has been overwhelmingly positive.   

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