A North-east storage and tubular inspection firm welcomed clients and guests to its 80-acre site near Peterhead last Friday (19 June).

Independent Oilfield Services (IOS), which was established in 2014 and has more than 20 years of experience in OCTG and drillpipe inspection, allowed clients to witness first-hand its vast storage yard and state-of-the-art inspection facility, as well as discover the firm’s plans for future development.

The custom-built facility, which is located only four miles from Peterhead Port, offers a one-stop-shop for operators, including storage for oilfield equipment and a fully automated inspection service for casing, tubing and drillpipe.

IOS was recently awarded planning permission by Aberdeenshire Council to press ahead with proposals to invest £10million to develop a further 30 acres of its 80-acre site.

Clients, suppliers and local councillors at the open day were informed of the firm’s future development plans, including 120,000 sq ft of warehousing and a further 15 acres of pipeyard and external storage. Guests were then encouraged to try their hand at clay pigeon shooting and a golf challenge before heading to Peterhead FC for some afternoon dining.  

Business development manager of IOS, Glynn Geddie, said: “Friday was a perfect opportunity for us to showcase the tubular supply base and for people to fully appreciate the size of the yard and its facilities. I think all of our guests really enjoyed both the site tours and the activities we had planned for them.

“We are extremely pleased to have built something on a large scale in such a short space of time, which is strategically located in Peterhead, in order to service the North Sea oil and gas industry. Its close proximity to the port will reduce the level of transport required for our clients, and including transportation as part of our package will also cut down on logistical costs, providing on average a 33% cost reduction in storage for them.

“Following planning permission to develop the site further, we are able to condense the needs of our clients into the one location, whether it be storage, handling or inspection, and are able to service a larger client base from a local, and easily accessible site.”  

With the new developments due to complete in the second quarter of 2016, new jobs are in the pipeline, with plans to increase its current workforce of 40.