Martek Marine expands into Russian offshore market

Maritime safety and environmental systems manufacturer Martek Marine has achieved a breakthrough first sale in Russia to national oil & gas explorer Gazflot. In another first, Martek’s calibration gases will be utilised on a pair of jack-up rigs in Yushno Sakhalin rather than on merchant vessels. Gazflot has a fleet of nine vessels including jack-up rigs, icebreakers and research ships. The Russian energy major has also placed orders for six of Martek’s Navgard BNWAS and a record breaking six figure system expansion contract.

The sale follows the crucial Type Approval of Martek’s Navgard by the Russian Register and the appointment of Ian Bennett, an experienced Russian speaking oil and gas industry executive as Martek’s regional sales manager.

Ian Bennett said:

“We’ve already seen a huge take-up in our systems aboard merchant vessels needing to meet the requirements of SOLAS Chapter V Regulation 19, but we’re also now seeing increasing interest from the offshore market. Approved by all the major classification societies, Martek’s Navgard is the easiest, quickest and lowest cost system to install.”

Navgard, which comes with a two-year warranty, uses real-time data logging, providing essential evidence in the event of an incident. Unlike some competitors that use simple key switches, Navgard requires a master password to disable, also noting when the system is switched on and off so that checks can be made to ensure it is being used continuously. When MV Karin Schepers grounded in 2009, the accident report noted that a BNWAS was present but had been switched off by crew. IMO regulations require all ships to fit a BNWAS before July 2015.