Darlington’s Subsea Innovation eyeing international expansion after Unique Group deal

An offshore energy sector engineer is targeting global growth following a takeover.

Darlington-based Subsea Innovation has been bought by Unique Group in a £1.9 million deal.

Bosses say the deal marks “a significant leap forward” in Subsea Innovation’s “journey to redefine industry standards”, with UAE-headquartered Unique Group adding it will help “deliver unparalleled solutions in the offshore energy and subsea sectors”.

Formerly part of Tekmar Group, Subsea Innovation is known for launch and recovery systems, which are used to deploy craft to work on energy projects at sea, and emergency pipeline repair apparatus.

Dave Thompson, Subsea Innovation’s managing director, said: “With the combined technical and commercial synergies, we are poised to grow significantly globally and develop new solutions.

“We are excited to become a part of Unique Group,” added Dave, who, as part of the deal, has taken on the role of group engineering director.

Sahil Gandhi, Unique Group chief executive, said the agreement will “transform the UK into a major engineering hub” for the business, adding it will sit alongside existing bases in South Africa, the Middle East and Isle of Wight.

He said: “This underlines our commitment to innovation and engineering expertise.

“We have ambitious development plans, along with our existing solutions to our wider customer base.”