Gazette THE NEWSLETTER OF GSS MARINE SERVICES
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Welcome to the First Edition of the new GSS Gazette. This publication, which will appear quarterly, is to keep you informed and updated on developments at GSS.
SPOTLIGHT on Growth GSS is currently bidding for almost £5 million in new contracts. The potential work programme in nine separate projects throughout the UK is in addition to an existing busy current schedule worth over £1.5 million. The GGS tender department is dealing with jobs that range from cleaning slips at £5,000 to major pontoon construction work at more than £1 million.
GSS expands its range of services and expertise GSS is an expanding company with an increased international reach and a developing range of services and expertise. Its fleet of multi-purpose boats, shoalbusters, barges and other smaller craft support construction, engineering, maintenance or other projects and contracts based on water or on the shore. The company, its boats and its personnel work on a large range of contracts with the shared aim to deliver the best standard of service that is possible.
2005 with a Management Buyout (MBO) when Jamie McGarry, the current Managing Director took over the running of the business. The MBO led to GSS diversifying into other markets that has proved highly successful for the business and has led to significant growth. At the time of the MBO in 2005, GSS had 21 staff by 2009 that had grown to 53. New markets include renewable energy particularly construction support, maintenance and repair on offshore windfarms.
All GSS vessels are available for hire on a daily or longer-term basis.
In addition to its own fleet GSS also has four ships under management on behalf of other owners.
Projects supported by GSS include coastal work, bridge and marine work, piers and jetties, pipe and cable laying, welding and diving support and marine piling.
With an annual financial turnover of around £10 million, GSS is emerging as a significant business in the sector.
The potential range of customers includes those from oil majors through local councils and marina owners to sub-contacting to the main contractor on major marine construction projects.
GSS focus on the highest standards includes ensuring that all plant is maintained to the highest specification, properly insured and operated by qualified and experienced personnel.
Jamie McGarry, GSS managing director said: “We are quoting on a lot of jobs at the moment in addition to our existing busy workload so the accent is very much on growth.”
Founded in 1989 to provide high quality plant and labour to the Navy and the maritime construction industry, GSS has charted a path of steady growth. Its development took a significant turn in
Jamie McGarry said: “GSS has grown strongly and steadily over the last few years and perhaps all of our existing customers aren’t fully aware of all the services that we now offer. “While we have seen a lot of change what has remained constant is our drive for quality. We want all of our customers to be able to say GSS delivers every time.”
THE NEWSLETTER OF GSS MARINE SERVICES
A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE
When Maggie met Robin it was electrifying!
As managing director of GSS, I would like to add my own welcome to the first edition of the new GSS newsletter. This newsletter is part of a drive by GSS to step up our efforts to communicate better with customers, prospective, customers, staff, suppliers and others with an interest in our business. GSS is an expanding business with a keen desire to build on our reputation for service and delivery. With a growing fleet and an increasing range of specialisms to add to our existing areas of expertise GSS can do more to help our customers needs. Not only are we increasing the number of the boats we have available to support our customers needs we are also increasing the size to boost the scale of work tat they can support. From short-term, one-off marine support jobs to long-term hires GSS aims to deliver a consistent quality of service to support our customers.
Maggie M: Solway Firth, England The meeting of Maggie and Robin will cause the sparks to fly. GSS boat Maggie M is working on the Robin Rigg offshore wind farm in the Solway Firth. The work on the wind farm, being developed for utility company E.ON, involves the Euro Carrier 22 boat repositioning the large barge that is laying the cable to the vast wind farm off shore.
We are also expanding our geographical range with GSS boats working everywhere from Aberdeen to the Ascension Islands from Dover to Denmark and from Garelochhead to Gibraltar. Wherever we are operating, however, we aim to offer the same quality of flexible service. The people at GSS are key to the service we deliver and in each issue of this newsletter we shall feature new recruits as they join us and also profile longer-term members of the business. With a growing fleet, an expanding staff and an increasing international reach GSS will be able to support more businesses and projects in future. We hope that more and more businesses will be able to share the view of our existing customers that GSS Delivers. Jamie McGarry Managing Director, GSS
Timing of the work depends very much on the tides so the crew and skipper of the Maggie have been working a shift pattern that makes the best of the prevailing tidal conditions. The Maggie’s contribution has developed drive on the development of the wind farm, which has already seen the switching on of the
first of the giant turbines and the successful generation of energy ‘piped’ back to shore. The wind farm consists of 60 turbines and will eventually produce enough power for almost 120,000 homes and displace the emission of 235,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide every year.
NEW COPY TO THIS SECTION
The Maggie M was at the time being skippered by Colin Grant, GSS’s longest serving skipper. Colin and his crew are moving on to the company’s new boat the Aileen M.
(maggie m & m be merged int
The wind farm contract is an example of the increasing amount of work GSS boats are doing in supporting the development of renewable energy throughout the UK. Jamie McGarry, Managing Director of GSS said: “The UK’s drive to develop renewable energy, particularly offshore wind power, is contributing to a growing programme of work for GSS.”
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LESLEY M: ANTWERP, BELGIUM
Morag M: Ramsgate, England The Morag M has been working to support diving operations on an offshore wind farm project off the coast at Ramsgate.
O COME FOR The Euro Carrier 22 boat has been acting as N a diving platform for the divers from REDS, which stands for Reach Engineering and Diving Services.
morag m to The REDS divers were swimming down to base of the wind turbines to correct a to 1 the section) wiring error.
A blue container on the deck houses the operations room and an emergency decompression chamber. A smaller container acts as a restroom for the divers. The Morag, the sister ship of the Maggie M, is employed for safety reasons when the sea is over 1.5 metres in height. Once the Morag reaches the diving site she puts down anchor and the divers are transferred to the diving ship via a small tender. Key features of the Morag M, which are important for this kind of project, are the excellent all-round visibility from the wheelhouse and the up-to-date navigation and communication electronics. From Ramsgate the Morag was returning to Holland and was expected to then head off to Italy to support a larger scale dredging contract. The Morag also works on jetty, port and harbour construction, anchor handling and other marine projects.
The Lesley M has been working in Antwerp in Belgium on a major contract supporting the dredging of the Albert Canal to allow access for bigger ships to the port. The GSS boat is employed positioning the dredger and pushing the barges to gather the dredged material. The Lesley M’s role is crucial because the dredger has no propulsion of its own, so it positions the dredger either by pushing it or by moving its anchors.
NEW COPY & PICS The dredger is held in place by cables TO FOR and theCOME Lesley M’s other duties include collecting new cables and putting them THIS SECTION in place so that the dredger can be repositioned when ready.
(to be copy on civil The work goes on around the clock to two crews are working aboard the engineering work) Lesley M 12 hours on and 12 hours off with the departing crew heading back to the hotel in Antwerp after briefing those that replaced them.
From Antwerp through Ramsgate and the Thames to Italy, GSS boats are supporting increasingly large civil engineering and construction jobs in the UK and mainland Europe.
THE NEWSLETTER OF GSS MARINE SERVICES
GOING OVERBOARD FOR MAGGIE M The skipper and crew of GSS boat the Maggie M leapt into action to rescue a man who fell overboard from a ferry approaching the busy ferry berth in Harwich, Essex. Maggie M skipper Henry Murtie was at a meeting on board the UR101 barge of client company Noble Denton midmorning on 21 March when a cry of “Man Overboard” went up. It was a case of all hands on deck as the Maggie M skipper and his crew rushed to start up the boat, which they did within a minute. They sped towards the man who was swimming towards a life buoy dropped by the ferry about 400 metres away from where the Maggie M had been.
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Trio of Recruits Will Make GSS Civils Business Run Sweeter GSS has signed up a trio of new employees to staff its growing burgeoning civil engineering division. The trio Colin Thomas, John Fraser and Linda Nelson will join GSS’s expansion into more ambitious marine civil engineering projects. This area of GSS’s work is spearheaded by Callum McLean. Jamie McGarry said: “Callum has a lifetime’s practical experience in all aspects of marine construction and we brought in the new recruits to support our expansion into more ambitious civil engineering projects.” A graduate engineer, John Fraser was a regional director with major construction companies Mowlam then Carillion before joinng GSS. He brings a wealth of knowledge for the management of significant Civil Engineering projects to the GSS Civils Division.
Colin Thomas
John has served as a chairman of the Civil Engineering Contractors Association both in Scotland and in the UK as a whole. Colin Thomas has broad experience in Civil Engineering, is the son of a marine engineer and brings his own enthusiasm to sailng as a recreation to his work with GSS. Colin did a BSc in civil engineering before moving into land-based construction. He has international experience having worked in New Zealand in addition to the UK.
John Fraser
Colin says that GSS gives him the opportunity to mix two of his favourite activities – sailing and construction. Linda Nelson joined GSS from Carillion. A Quantity Surveyor Linda will deal with the commercial management of contracts. Two other boats the Voe Jarl and Volantis FRC joined in the rescue. The GSS boat’s crew had the man fished out of the water within very little time at all. Freddie George of Noble Denton who was at the meeting aboard the UR101 said: “The Maggie M was away within one minute and had the man out of the water within two-and-a-half minutes of the ‘Man Overboard’ being raised. “A few minutes later the Voe Jarl and the Volantis FRC were at the scene. “It was a show of the utmost state of readiness for all concerned and all involved are a great credit to their companies. Truly a great show of professionalism. Well done to all.”
In her previous role with Carillion, Linda was working on a £25m contract. Her work with GSS gives her the opportunity to manage whole contracts rather than part of a massive one. Callum McLean said: “Our recent recruitment means that for what is still quite a young business at GSS we have an incredible depth and range of Civils experience.”
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Felixstowe, England – Lesley London Gateway – SMS Shoalbuster Ramsgate England – Maggie Rhu, Scotland – Julia Rhu, Scotland – Mary Rodby, Denmark – Morag Wilhelmshaven, Germany – Laura
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WELSH OFFICE Tony Drake, GSS Tel: 07789 652833
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Ciaran Doris, the barge master of UR101 said: “The fast and excellent response from the vessels is very impressive indicating an excellent selection of attendant boats.”
HEAD OFFICE John McMeeking, GSS Rhu Marina, Rhu, Argyll & Bute G84 8LH Tel: +44 (0) 14366 821277 Fax: +44 (0) 14366 821288 Email: info@gssplant.co.uk
Linda Nelson
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SOUTHAMPTON OFFICE Steve Lemon, GSS Tel: 078185 19208
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EUROPE Paul Lunter, Aalsmeer Holland Tel: +31 (0) 651 853 242 Email: lunters@kpnplanet.nl