Partrac, Leading Metocean Specialist, Joins Venterra Group

Date: 2022-06-17

Venterra Group Plc, the offshore wind energy services business, today announces the acquisition of Partrac, experts in metocean and seabed measurement, analysis and critical advice for the offshore wind industry. 

Founded in 2003 by Sam Athey, Kevin Black, and Peter Wilson, Partrac is a metocean and seabed consultancy, servicing clients in the offshore wind, ports and  marine construction sectors. From offices located in Newcastle,  Glasgow and Devon, Partrac designs and implements metocean surveys.  These include offshore wind resource measurement programmes as well as interpretation of metocean (wind, wave and current) and seabed (geoscience) data to support the consenting and engineering design stages of offshore wind farms and their associated cable routes.

Venterra was formed to create a global services champion supporting the offshore wind industry’s rapid expansion and leading role in the energy transition. It is building a service offering across the wind farm lifecycle, comprising Engineer, Build and Support services. This is being achieved through a combination of acquisition and investment to generate accelerated growth in the fast-expanding market and gathering urgently needed capabilities to help the offshore wind industry meet its potential.

Rob Jewkes, Chief Executive Officer of Venterra Group, said; ‘Partrac has a highly differentiated metocean consultancy offering, focused primarily on the offshore wind and marine renewables sectors. They have been involved with pioneering projects, including the world’s first floating wind farm, delivering vital metocean data, wind resource assessments and critical advice. Their services help developers optimise wind farm designs, move them through consenting and reduce development risk. As a member of Venterra, Partrac will continue to work on these ground-breaking projects and accelerate its growth as part of the wider offering.’ 

Paul Doherty, Executive Vice President of Engineering at Venterra Group, said; ‘We are delighted to add Partrac to our front end ‘Engineer’ offering as we build a comprehensive early stage set of services for developers. As demand for offshore wind accelerates globally, we are working with experienced developers and new market entrants who are stretching to meet the unprecedented needs placed upon them by the energy transition. Partrac’s market leading metocean skills are a vital component alongside our geoscience and UXO activities.’ 

Sam Athey, a Director of Partrac, said: ‘Over the last 18 years, we have evolved from a three-person start-up to a company that is trusted to provide critical data and advice to the world’s largest and most innovative offshore wind projects. We have invested in a team of dynamic, motivated, high calibre people from a variety of backgrounds and specialisms. Combining our team with Venterra’s ‘Engineer’ offering means we will be able to offer a more comprehensive set of services and continue to deliver as the global market accelerates. Venterra operates from 14 locations in nine countries and gives us a wider geographic platform from which to grow. As a team, we are excited to be a member company of Venterra Group, focused on making a real contribution to reaching net zero”.