Aberdeen-based offshore lifting specialist Sparrows has secured a new contract with BP to support its North Sea operations, continuing a relationship with the supermajor that has spanned more than 40 years.

The new contract, thought to be worth more than £15 million a year to Sparrow, will cover the provision of all crane and lifting engineering services on the 26 UK offshore rigs owned by BP.

Speaking to the Aberdeen Press and Journal, Sparrows executive director for the eastern hemisphere Richard Wilson, commented: "In no way is the new contract a simple renewal of the previous deal; it represents new ways of delivering greater value to BP, while still maintaining the highest standards of safety and equipment integrity."

He added that the training and development programmes undertaken by today's staff are infinitely more advanced than the primitive training that was the norm in the 1970s.

Aberdeen is one of the world's premier oil and gas training hubs and is home to global training providers such as Opito and MDT International.

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