A GLOBAL business with Tyne Valley roots is celebrating its 10th anniversary.

Offshore technology supplier Osbit began operations at its Riding Mill headquarters in 2010, with three owner-directors, and now has four.

The firm soon established a powerful engineering team, and over the past decade, has delivered a number of offshore technology firsts to support its global customer-base.

These include Osbit’s pioneering well intervention for safer operations, cable laying technology which tripled operational performance, and advanced subsea trenching vehicle technology.

Osbit has also recently developed an innovative seabed mineral collector, in partnership with Enshore Subsea.

Executive chairman, Dr Tony Trapp MBE, said: “We have had lots of excitement together with excellent results over the past 10 years, but also plenty of challenges.

“We made a significant investment in the early years but were able to eliminate debt after three years.

“The year 2014 was a record year for us but this was the start of the oil price crash which has seriously damaged the energy markets ever since.

“We now have the Covid-19 pandemic and Osbit has continued to deliver high quality engineering in a safe way in 2020 while the world has experienced the greatest level of business and financial turmoil that I have seen in my lifetime.

“We have developed some exceptionally good technology for offshore handling and well intervention, as well as subsea trenching and wind turbine foundation installation. Offshore wind is now very important and makes up a large proportion of our work.”

During the past few months, an Osbit team has built a 750-tonne pile gripper system in Singapore for the Taiwanese Yunlin offshore wind farm. The considerable challenge was considered a great triumph for the firm, which also has an assembly facility at the Port of Blyth.

Osbit’s largest project to date, the FTAI Ocean well intervention tower, is currently being built on Teesside.

Dr Trapp added: “Who knows what the next 10 years will bring, but I am confident that our brilliant team will find the best way forward so that the business can continue to flourish.

“I am extremely proud of what Osbit has achieved so far and this is a real tribute to the dedication and talents of our whole team.”

For more information about the business visit www.osbit.com