Norwegian Oilfield Supplier Growing Fast
Aker Solutions' announcement of 1,300 new jobs at its London engineering hub follows its opening of a new training academy in Katy, Texas.
A Norwegian provider of oilfield products and services, Aker Solutions, announced June 7 it will have 1,700 employees in its London engineering hub -- creating 1,300 new jobs -- by 2015 to meet worldwide demand from the energy sector. Aker recently opened a facility in Katy, Texas, that includes a realistic offshore oil rig dome simulator for training workers, the Houston Chronicle reported.
Øyvind Eriksen, executive chairman of Aker Solutions, announced the expansion of its offices in Chiswick Park while meeting with British Prime Minister David Cameron and Jens Stoltenberg, Norway's prime minister, in Oslo.
"Aker Solutions' decision to create 1300 new jobs at a new engineering hub in Chiswick is great news for the local economy, and it is a vote of confidence in the skill, expertise, and professionalism of our engineering sector," Cameron said. "Aker Solutions now employ more than 3,000 people across the UK and recently announced 500 new jobs in Aberdeen. Their expansion here is testament to the increasing depth and strength of our partnership with Norway across the spectrum of energy issues, which helps to ensure that we keep household energy bills as affordable as possible for families across the country."
"Oil and gas engineers in London are typically experienced, highly competent, and they have an international mindset. By combining our own experience with this expertise, we can offer our customers engineering related to field architecture, products, and technologies both in the North Sea and internationally," said Eriksen. The company employs 25,000 people worldwide.
Employees in the London office are working on projects involving Statoil's Mariner field in the UK North Sea and Det norske oljeselskap's Draupne field on the Norwegian continental shelf.