Paris-headquartered engineering and consulting firm Aventa has acquired Irish Sea Contractors, a County Wexford marine contractor, a deal that matters to developers, grid operators and cable manufacturers because it adds subsea cable landfall, nearshore installation and repair capability to a group already serving offshore wind and interconnector projects.

Aventa is a Paris-headquartered independent engineering and consulting company serving the marine energy sector across offshore wind, subsea cables and marine construction, with offices in Europe and the US and a growing Operations unit.

Irish Sea Contractors (ISC) is a County Wexford marine contractor with more than 40 years of experience in marine civil engineering, commercial diving and subsea cable projects, whose AERSUB subsea cable repair solution is DNV-qualified.

Aventa plans to invest in ISC’s Irish operations, expand its services and create skilled roles, while ISC keeps its name in Ireland and ISC Managing Director Áine Kinsella also takes charge of Aventa’s Operations business unit.

Aurélien Zuccarini, chief growth and talent officer and co-founder at Aventa, said: “Clients benefit when knowledge moves smoothly from engineering and planning into offshore execution. Combining ISC’s delivery experience with our engineering, consulting and existing operational expertise will help us improve constructability, manage interfaces and provide continuity through installation and long-term asset support.”

Áine Kinsella, managing director at Irish Sea Contractors, said: “Joining Aventa gives us the backing to develop our subsea cable capability and pursue larger projects, while preserving the experience, relationships and practical approach our clients know us for.”

Cable reliability is a recognised pressure point: subsea cables represent about 10% of a wind farm’s overall costs but around 80% of offshore wind insurance payouts, and there are only a limited number of cable-laying vessels to repair them.

Average downtime is around 40 days for an inter-array cable repair and 60 days for an export cable, according to a University of Strathclyde study cited by Riviera.

Aventa also intends to develop the subsea cable capability across telecommunications and power transmission markets.

For the sector, bringing design, installation and repair under one group offers developers and transmission operators fewer interfaces on landfall and cable works, at a time when cable faults carry outsized cost.

Source: Offshore Energy / Marine Ireland / Marine Technology News / Riviera / AXA XL