French engineering and offshore services group Aventa has acquired Irish Sea Contractors (ISC), a County Wexford marine contractor with more than 40 years’ experience in marine civil engineering, commercial diving and subsea cable projects. The deal puts engineering design and offshore execution under one roof, a combination Aventa says reduces interfaces and keeps projects continuous from planning through installation.

Aventa is a Paris-based group founded in France in 2010, providing engineering, consulting and offshore operations services for marine energy and transmission projects. Its clients include developers, operators, transmission system operators, cable manufacturers and installation contractors.

ISC was founded by David Kinsella and is led by his daughter, Áine Kinsella, who will also head Aventa’s Operations business unit. It has delivered fibre-optic and power cable projects in Ireland, the UK and mainland Europe, covering landfalls, pull-ins, nearshore installation, burial, protection and remedial works.

The acquisition also adds AERSUB, ISC’s newly developed, DNV-qualified subsea cable repair system, which allows cable jointing to take place on the seabed without bringing the cable up to a vessel’s deck, avoiding some heavy-lift and deck-handling operations.

Antoine Bosc, CEO and co-founder of Aventa, said: “Building our Operations business is a strategic priority for Aventa.” Bosc added: “ISC brings experienced teams, established client relationships and a strong record of delivering complex marine work.”

The structural driver is the growing scale and complexity of offshore wind and interconnector projects, where design decisions increasingly have to account for installation methods, seabed conditions and vessel constraints.

Aurélien Zuccarini, Chief Growth & Talent Officer and co-founder of Aventa, said: “Clients benefit when knowledge moves smoothly from engineering and planning into offshore execution.”

Áine Kinsella, managing director of ISC, said: “Our operational experience and Aventa’s engineering and consulting expertise are complementary.” Kinsella added: “Together, we can take on more complex work and offer clients broader support, while maintaining the approach and relationships that define ISC.”

ISC will keep its name in Ireland, with Wexford remaining central to its marine delivery. Aventa plans to invest in the Irish operation, create skilled roles and open a presence in Dublin. For the sector, the deal gives an offshore engineering group direct marine and diving capability in Ireland.

Source: oceannews.com / renews.biz / marine-ireland.ie / maritimejournal.com