We take immense pride in recognizing the outstanding achievement of our GMG rowing team members – Dave DunkCraig Beech and Spike Johns. They successfully conquered the challenging task of rowing 1,000,000+ metres in January as part of the wider rowing community ‘Concept2’ team challenge. Impressively ranking first on the ‘Corporate’ table when measured by average metres per rower.

The team dedicated their efforts to raising crucial funds for Children’s Cancer North

The concluding day of this challenge took place at our head office, Ocean House in Chelmsford, where they were supported by fellow rowers from across the business.

Although the challenge is complete, donations are still welcome to support Children’s Cancer North and to celebrate the remarkable achievement of our dedicated team. Contributions can be made at – https://hubs.ly/Q02jD8Hg0

Captain John Tollady from the Cable Retriever, shares his account of a long overdue visit to the charity.

At the end of September, six Officers and I visited the Ninos Pag Asa Centre in Olongapo. Due to an unprecedented cable repair programme and then Covid, nobody from Cable Retriever had been able to visit for over three years.

Cely and her team welcomed us into the Centre and we were placed at pride of place, behind a table in their main room. The children then put on a show for us. There was a mixture of song and dance.

Janvee was a small boy the last time I visited in 2014. He is now a first-year student at Gordon College. He moved between drums, bass guitar, electric piano and singing with ease. He is totally blind.

Joenard took his turn playing electric piano and belting out some beautiful ballads, a particular favourite in the Philippines. His voice was amazing. He too is totally blind, but that didn’t seem to trouble him one bit, as he played the keys and adjusted the various dials with aplomb. He is the one who gives the blind children at the orphanage music lessons.

Patricia has a beautiful smile and great voice. She stood in the middle of the room and sang wonderfully. Her eyes are white. She doesn’t have pupils or irises, like you or I. She is at Grade 11 at school. One of the deaf children walked with her to the place where she was to perform and then brought her back to her seat after her songs.

A lot of the children work in twos. The deaf seeing for the blind and the blind hearing for the deaf. Cely explained that as there were not only children and staff attending that day, but also various parents of children who are undergoing cleft palate operations, the Centre was unusually busy and this made it more difficult for the blind children. On less busy days, they are fine making their own way around the Centre, up and down stairs unaided. They have the same chores in the kitchen as the sighted children and need no assistance with almost every facet of life. It is just in the outside world where the dangers lie. Pavements, guide dogs, pelican crossings and the bobbly tiles on our pavements, that indicate the sloped approach of a road crossing, are just not part of where they live.

Cely called a lovely little girl over, Cely said that she was 12. Her name is Baby Girl and she is deaf. Cely explained that she had been abandoned in a Mall, presumably by her parents, with a small plastic shopping bag her only possession. The Mall security found her late in the evening, wandering alone. She was taken to a shelter. Cely took her in and that day became her birthday, she knew no other. Everybody called her Baby Girl and that is all she has ever been called. Broadcasts on local radio, photos in local papers and posters on lamp posts for miles around produced nobody that knew (or wanted to admit) to knowing who she was. After three months Cely took her to the dentist to establish a medical base level and for him to advise how old the girl most probably was, by aging her teeth. He said three. So, nine years ago, three year old Baby Girl became one of the children we all sponsor. She will hopefully work through the mental scars of being abandoned by her parents and with our help, go to college, get a job and have a ‘normal’ life.

Several of the children I met in 2014 have married and are starting families of their own now. Cely said that they all visit and help when they can.

Shelwin is a third year college student’ reading Criminology. Ronnel is a first year student as St. Joseph College.

Angelica and Samantha are fourth year students doing a BSed. They graduate next July. Mariele and Kenna are second year students taking Psychology at Aura College.

None of these young people would have had these opportunities without Global Marine Group’s support. Their success in education not only gives them a life but inspires the others still in the Centre, that they too can achieve success when they grow up. There is a future.

I think that Cely said that there are 32 children in the Orphanage at present. Back when I visited in 2014, I was struck by how hopeless it all seemed. The poor little kids had most often been abandoned by parents who could not look after a child with disabilities. At least with Cely and the Centre they were safe, but I wondered ‘and then what?’. It seems that whilst I was right about how hard their lives were, there have been so many great success stories. Children Global Marine Group have sponsored have attended college and now have good jobs. Many of them came to our visit on Tuesday, to express their gratitude for the chance we have given them. It is very humbling to sit there and listen to a procession of young people thank you for the support and chance we have given them to be something other than abandoned children.

We had brought Pizza and Coke and it became a scene I have witnessed before in that same room. Just kids eating a lunchtime meal and talking, signing and giggling together. It felt ‘normal’ (that word again) and some of the feelings of guilt, from having so much while they have so little, subsided. If not for the dishevelled surroundings and a general lack of uniform, it could have been any number of after school events I have attended, when my own children were in school.

Children kept on coming up to shake our hands and put the back of our hands against their forehead, as a sign of respect. All the “thank you’s” were followed by “Po”, which is a Tagalog expression of respect. These poor little things haven’t a real clue who you are or why you are there, but they know that you are something good in their life and are on their side. They must spend many hours wondering what will become of them and what their futures hold. That is why I was so glad to see older children and even adults who have gone on, with Global Marine Group’s assistance, to have full and meaningful lives. It gives the little ones hope.

I think that Cely said that we have sponsored over 70 cleft palate operations this year, with another 20 planned. This is something that I have rarely seen in Europe. A baby is born with a deformation of the palate/top lip and if nothing is done, that child will have a disfigured face all their life. We are a judgemental species and with such an obvious deformity, they suffer taunting and discrimination. It is a surprisingly easy, quick and successful procedure, sometimes needing a second operation. The result is transformative. What was once the defining feature of a person’s face, becomes a faint scar line. You wouldn’t really notice. The operations we pay for make a real difference to a lot of people’s lives out here.

Global Marine Group is currently sponsoring the building of an extra room in the Centre. It will become sleeping quarters for maybe 6 girls, with an integral bathroom.

As with UK charities or even the NHS, need seems to grow to match the funds available. Rice is a lot more expensive since Covid. Everything seems to cost more. Something those of us who live in the UK can relate to. It is just that the Centre is starting at a much lower level.

The boys’ dormitory was stifling. The two ceiling fans had motors, but no blades. Of course, air conditioning is not an option. The ship will see if we can supply some fans, to at least move the hot air around.

Before we left, two boys came over to us. The taller, older one, leading the other, tiny boy. The little boy had the same white eyes that the girl who sang for us a couple of hours earlier had. A difference was that his right eye did have a pupil in one eye. Cely said that he has been for tests and they await the results to see if he can be operated on, to give him some sight in his right eye. She said that they had a similar case a couple of years ago and the surgeons managed to save an eye and that child therefore can see and has moved on. Global Marine Group money did that. A little boy now has a life that he would not otherwise have had, due to the contributions we make. The little boy who stood next to me is too young to understand, but we do.

As we were driven away from the Centre, I again experienced the disbelieving words from the other guys in the car that I had heard nine years before, as to what they had seen. Such hardship and misfortune, but also such love and hope. It really is a very special place. Heart breaking, but also filling you with pride for what Global Marine Group does and that there are such good people around as Cely and her team, who do what we cannot or choose not to do, to help children.

About the Ninos Pag Asa Centre
The Centre provides much needed care and support and those who are not cared for or looked after by any other agency in the Philippines. It is authorised and licensed to operate as a social work agency giving medical assistance, educational programmes, skills training and community-based rehabilitation. The centre not only look after those who are resident, but also educate and assist other children and adults in the local community.

Global Marine Group has been supporting the centre since our vessel the Cable Retriever arrived nearby in 1998 to support the SEAIOCMA region with cable maintenance and repairs. The Captain of the Cable Retriever, together with Richard McFarlane in the Philippines depot, and colleagues in the UK take responsibility for supporting the centre and organise many activities to this end throughout the year. For more information about how we support the centre click here.

In the summer, a group from the business did a fantastic fundraising walk from our Head Office to Mersea Island. The challenging 60km route was no mean feat, and thanks to their efforts, with support from colleagues, family and friends, the team raised a whopping £2,000 for the Motor Neurone Disease Association.

We spoke to one of the volunteers taking part and helping raise vital money for the MNDA, Claire. Claire works at our head office, in our finance team as a business partner for fleet.

“When I saw that the business was promoting the MeaNDa, I was really intrigued. I’ve never done anything like it before, but I wanted to join it and challenge myself to walk a distance that to me seemed impossible!

The charity we were supporting is so important too, it’s such a debilitating disease and anything we can do to contribute helps, the aches and pains you suffer walking that far seem like nothing in comparison.”

How did you prepare for the big day?

“Craig did all the hard work organising and planning all the routes which was a big task! In terms of training, we did weekly 5km lunchtime walks from the office which were great to build the base fitness, a good excuse to take a break for our desks and get some fresh air and of course break in those walking boots properly! And then nearer to the day we did a series of longer walks to build up the distance further.”

There must have been highs and lows along the 60km way?

“Of course – lots of both of them! Luckily we had fantastic weather and the Essex countryside that we were walking through was absolutely beautiful – it really did showcase the best of Essex.  The group atmosphere was great, we had lots of chat and laughs, with Angela taking the role of DJ and morale booster for the last half of the walk which everyone embraced.

Whilst the great weather was a bonus, it was a bit extreme at some points and it was the heat that was really the biggest challenge for me. The sun was beating down on us all day, with very little breeze, and a constant battle to keep hydrated. The walking itself was surprisingly fine – when you have such amazing scenery and good company it’s easy for the time, and miles, to pass by.  I think that was the great thing about it being a walk though – anyone can join in.”

Have you done much volunteering or charity work before?

“I haven’t really, but I’ll definitely take part in next year’s big challenge – it would be great to get even more involved next year to support with the planning and promotion to make it bigger and better that what we achieved this year. It’s also opened up the thought of doing more voluntary work in the future as well – perhaps something in the local community such as tree planting, or park clean ups etc.

The volunteering programme run by the business is a great initiative. Giving employees up to three days a year for volunteering activities not only helps charities but it’s also important way to allow staff to showcase and support the issues that are important to them.”

Earlier this month, we held our Annual Awards Evening, recognising employees and teams both on and offshore right across Global Marine Group.

Designed to reward and recognise outstanding achievements over the last 12 months, the categories reflect the businesses underpinning values. Over 150 nominations were made by peers throughout the company.

Congratulations to this year’s awards winners:

Offshore Individual: Samantha Mason

Second Officer, Samantha, was chosen as the winner for this category for her outstanding response to Covid-19.

Onshore Individual: Rebecca Hughes

Fleet Resourcing Manager, Rebecca was selected as a winner for this category for her ability to hit the ground running and make an immediate difference within the company.

Offshore Team: C.S. Sovereign

The C.S. Sovereign crew were nominated for their fortitude and resilience in the face of extremely challenging conditions. A big congratulations to the whole team.

Onshore Team: Roz Johnson and the Accounts Payable Team

This team has been recognised multiple times for their dedication and hard work, and for going to extra mile to ensure the business remained operational.

Excellence & Capability: Carla Bennet

Subsea Operations Administrator, Carla was selected as the winner of our Excellence and Capability Award due to her dedication and commitment to the company, her ability to go above and beyond their job role and for always being helpful.

Innovation: Brian Perratt

Global Support Services Manager, Brian has been recognised by his peers for approaching product development with flare and passion, and creating a positive impact on the business.

Customer Focus: Plamen Katsanski

The winner of our Customer Focus Award, IT Analyst Plamen, is highly regarded by his peers and always has the customers’ requirements in mind. Plamen has qualities, which have been described as ‘a great ambassador and attribute to their team and the wider business’.

Commercial Focus: Liam Cairney

The winner of the Commercial Focus Award was Proposals Engineer, Liam, who has been described as having exceptional dedication, commitment, and work ethic and always going above and beyond in his role.

Corporate Citizen: Andy Newman

Engineering Manager, Andy won this award due to his proactive approach in ensuring that our graduates and apprentices are fully supported and getting the right type of developmental experience.

Covid Hero: Elliot Gaitch

This special category introduced this year will recognise an individual that has not only gone above and beyond in their role during the pandemic, but has demonstrated their commitment to the Global Marine Group culture and values outside of their role within the business, supporting local communities or volunteering for others that have been in real need.

Second Officer Elliot, was nominated multiple times by his peers, and has been described as ‘a truly worthy Covid hero’.

Safety Champion: Jon Geddes

Jon has shown real diligence in his training and assessment of CTV Masters and Crew which has made a significant contribution to the reduction in incidents within the CWind fleet. Jon’s authenticity and setting of extremely high standards in his execution deserves to be recognised and makes him a worthy winner of the award.

Directors’ Choice: Dave Whiting

The Directors choice award this year goes to Dave, RQHSE Officer, who has been instrumental in ensuring that the business has continued to keep going despite the challenges of Covid. Dave have provided constant support to the Global Marine business unit over the past year and is always quick to respond to enquiries, supporting as best he can in every situation. A truly worthy award winner.

Congratulations and thank you to all our winners, shortlisted colleagues and nominees this year!

International Women in Engineering Day (#INWED21) takes place on 23 June. We hope by sharing some of Global Marine Group’s success stories, we can help to raise the profile of women engineers across the globe, and encourage more people to consider engineering as a profession for all.

INWED is an international awareness campaign which raises the profile of women in engineering and focuses attention on the amazing career opportunities available to women and girls in this exciting industry.

Shannon Gray

“If you want to be a successful engineer then you have to be passionate about it.”


Lisbeth Sorensen

“My advice to anyone interested in becoming an engineer, would be education first and foremost.”


Ramona Vryonides

“Whatever type of engineering you specialize in, your work will focus on solving complex problems – a skill that is highly sought after in all sorts of industries.”

Next week, a team of 26 amateur and enthusiastic riders from Global Marine, CWind and Global Offshore, all part of the Global Marine Group, will be taking part in a cycling challenge raising money for our two corporate charities. Having previously cycled from Chelmsford to our Portland Depot, and from our offices in Grimsby to our Blyth Hub, this year the much anticipated cycling challenge will once again begin at our Head Office in Chelmsford. After the initial trepidation has subsided, the team will finish the first day of the ride 200 kilometres later in Lowestoft, the location of our CWind Training facilities. The following day will see the team cycling around East Anglia, taking in the views of the many wind farms dotted along the coastline, finishing in Kings Lynn, taking the two-day distance to over 350 kilometres.

For some of the riders, the challenge won’t end there; a large portion of the team will be cycling back to Chelmsford or Grimsby on day 3 of the ride, to finish the weekend with a whopping 500 kilometres of cycling completed.

It is not only a personal challenge for the riders but an excellent opportunity to raise sponsorship for two very worthwhile charities, The Jubilee Sailing Trust (jst.org.uk) and the Ninos Pag-Asa Orphanage. The JST takes both disabled and able-bodied people to sea on their purpose-built tall ships, promoting equality, sharing, and to celebrate individual differences by working together to achieve greater things. The Orphanage is a charity very close to our hearts here at Global Marine Group, having supported the centre and children there in the Philippines for over 20 years.

GMG would like to thank suppliers, partners and friends who have kindly sponsored the event: Port of Blyth, Pharos, MODUS, TEXO, Tekmar, World Fuel Services, JME and Power CSL. To make a donation in support of both charities, please click here:  https://give.everydayhero.com/uk/global-marine-group-the-pedal-2019/

Global Marine Group (GMG), supported by its business units Global Marine, Global Offshore and CWind, has signed a framework agreement for cable repair with offshore wind farm developer and operator Ørsted.

Launching on 25th June, the framework becomes a part of the Atlantic Cable Maintenance Agreement (ACMA) which is delivered by GMG alongside zone partner Orange Marine. Should the dedicated ACMA vessel, C.S. Sovereign, be unavailable due to other commitments within the zone, this agreement extends Ørsted’s access to other assets in the Group’s fleet including the Global Symphony, ASV Pioneer and CTVs for ancillary services.

With some 1,150 turbines already installed offshore, Ørsted is the world’s leading operator providing 13 million people with clean electricity. The agreement covers most of the organisation’s UK offshore wind farm portfolio, including almost 900km of subsea array cable.

Benj Sykes, UK Country Manager for Ørsted’s offshore activities, said, “We have been looking for a solution which wraps all of our maintenance and replacement cable work into a single service provider, and we are pleased to be working with the Global Marine Group alongside ACMA and its members. Many of our wind farm sites operate in close proximity to telecoms cable already installed on the seabed, so the combined experience within the Group of working with both fibre optic and power cables and the depth of their collective resources, gives us absolute confidence in our chosen solution for the future.”

Alasdair Wilkie, Chairman at ACMA, commented, “ACMA is a non-profit co-operative subsea maintenance agreement consisting of 60+ organisations in the Atlantic, North Sea and South Eastern Pacific Ocean. We’ve worked successfully with Global Marine for many years to address the needs of our members and are looking forward to sharing our best-practice within telecoms to help forge the future of power cable maintenance.”

The framework also gives Ørsted access to the rest of the Group for offshore services with Global Offshore managing and conducting power cable replacement, and repairs supported by CWind including in-situ repairs, working to rectify faults within the confined space of each affected turbine. CWind could support Ørsted by providing temporary power for both planned and unplanned power outages, logistics and personnel, plus any necessary cable pull-in teams, termination and testing.

Ian Douglas, CEO at Global Marine Group, added, “Cable maintenance is intrinsic to our business, and having been a key service provider to ACMA and other maintenance zones for many years, we will be able to marry this historic telecom experience with the Group’s power cable experience associated with our participation in the post-millennium offshore renewables boom.”

Mr. Douglas continued, “This is a pioneering commercial and technical approach to power cable maintenance and repair, and we believe will set the blueprint for the future of combined cable and subsea asset agreements which brings about benefits for everyone across multiple industries.”

Global Marine Group (GMG), has worked in close collaboration with offshore technology company Osbit and its first confirmed client for the new plough, Vattenfall, to design the tool to meet genuine market demand. The plough is optimised to help deliver reductions in the cost of offshore wind installation and to minimise project risk by combining operations to reduce the time required to install subsea cables.

The plough offers unrivalled single pass capability, which enables boulder clearance and pre-trenching up to 1.7m in a single run, leaving a boulder cleared swathe and a ‘backfill-ready’ open trench with segregated spoil. The plough is also fully subsea adjustable and features an extensive surveillance suite for accurate and effective trenching.

The plough can be reconfigured into backfill mode, which uses the same control and surveillance suite to monitor the cable and trench profile, enabling reliable backfilling whilst ensuring the safety of the cable at all times. Osbit’s innovative forward skid arrangement and surveillance equipment provide market-leading levels of cable integrity assurance.

Martyn Drye, Director of Engineering at Global Marine Group, said, “Our new PLP240 will allow us to reduce the time to first power production by shortening the wind farm construction phase, and therefore delivering an earlier return on investment for our developer clients. Through intelligent engineering alongside the Osbit team, we’ve created a versatile solution which integrates cable route preparation, cable laying and trenching – an industry first. The PLP240 complements our existing fleet of subsea trenchers and ploughs, offering clients a solution that’s right for them no matter in which subsea sector they operate.”

Osbit Director Robbie Blakeman commented, “We are very proud to have delivered this class-leading subsea plough to Global Marine Group. We are committed to developing globally innovative subsea trenching solutions using our proven modular technology and the delivery of this project reinforces the effectiveness of this approach”

Mr. Blakeman continued, “I would like to thank Global Marine Group and Vattenfall for their genuine collaboration, which was key in supporting the project’s smooth execution, as well as our local supply chain, which played a major part in enabling this successful delivery.”

Following contract award in January, Osbit completed final assembly and sign-off at the company’s Port of Blyth assembly facility, at the end of May. The PLP240 will undergo rigorous wet testing before commencing work on Vattenfall’s Danish Kriegers Flak project in 2020.

For many years Global Marine has given generously and taken part in charity work worldwide, supporting the communities in which we operate.

Currently the primary charity supported by the company is the Ninos Pag Asa Centre, based in Olongapo, Philippines. It is an orphanage for those who are not cared for nor looked after by any other agency. It is authorised and licensed to operate as a social work agency giving medical assistance, educational programmes, skills training and community based rehabilitation. The centre not only look after those who are resident, but also educate and assist other children and adults in the local community.

Global Marine has been supporting the centre since Cable Retriever arrived in 1998. The Captain of the Cable Retriever, together with the Make a Difference Team (MAD), in the UK take responsibility for supporting the orphanage and organise many activities to this end throughout the year.

Supporting Brainwave in the UK

Since 2015, the company has supported Brainwave, a charity offering therapy to children with disabilities and additional needs to help them achieve their potential. After an initial assessment Brainwave therapists devise a structured exercise therapy programme for each child with is based on the theory of neuroplasticity,helping the brain find new pathways in the ‘neural network’ by providing regular repetition of newly acquired skills.

Acquisition Further Positions Global Marine Group for Significant Offshore Power Market Opportunities

Chelmsford, Friday 1st December 2017. Global Marine Group (“GMG”), a market leader in offshore engineering services to the telecommunications, renewables and oil & gas industries, announced today that it has completed its previously announced acquisition of Fugro N.V.’s (“Fugro”) (AMS:FUR) trenching and cable lay services business.

The Fugro acquisition significantly enhances GMG’s portfolio of service offerings to the market, with a comprehensive range of integrated services that enable GMG to complete additional packages of work in direct response to market demands.  The transaction also provides GMG with highly capable, proven assets, including 23 employees located in Aberdeen, that have a successful track record of delivering complex subsea engineering projects to offshore customers globally.  For example, the M/V Symphony, a multi-purpose vessel built in 2011 with an extensive 1,400m2 deck space, has recently joined GMG’s cable installation and maintenance fleet.  In addition, GMG has added two powerful Q1400 trenchers and two work class remotely operated vehicles to its offering.  As part of this transaction, Fugro will become the preferred provider of marine site characterisation and asset integrity services to GMG.

“We believe this acquisition has two key benefits, meeting the needs of our customers, while at the same time strengthening GMG’s market position in offshore power,” said Ian Douglas, Chief Executive Officer of GMG. “I’m delighted to welcome on board such a well-respected group of people led by Mike Daniel, and I look forward to seeing the contribution they will make to the Global Marine Group over the coming months.”

Mike Daniel, manager of the trenching and cable lay services business, added, “We have an excellent track record in the offshore renewables and oil & gas sectors.  As a team, we have been involved in the installation of more than 470 power cables, recently completing the installation of 122 cables at the Rampion Offshore Wind Farm.  We have also successfully completed the trenching of the export cable and inter array cables on the world’s first floating wind farm, Hywind Scotland, off the coast of Aberdeenshire, demonstrating our innovative industry leading approach. Moving forward, we will continue to support existing and new customers alike, utilising our skill set to support the wider business goals of Global Marine Group.”