South Tyneside-based Metec Cathodic Protection (UK) is set to achieve a turnover of more than £8 million and create new jobs after winning a number of international contracts in the ship build/repair, ports and harbours, offshore renewable and oil and gas sectors.

The firm employs 37 people, including corrosion protection engineers, design engineers, welders and specialist foundry personnel.

Cathodic protection is a technique where sacrificial anodes are attached to a steel structure to control
corrosion.

It protects metal structures and vessels from the corrosion that would otherwise cause them to fail. Its applications range from fuel tanks to bridge pile foundations, reinforced concrete structures in harbours and offshore wind-farm towers.

Robert Forsyth, Metec UK’s commercial director (www.metecgroup.com), said: “Cathodic protection is the belt and braces to protective coating systems and is specified in most ship build/ship repair, harbour, renewable energy and offshore projects.

"Each project we undertake is unique, involving different structures in shallow or deeper water, in different environments. What we deliver is tailored to the structure and the environment, to maximise its life-span.”

Recently completed projects include the East Anglia and Hornsea One offshore wind farms, as well as an oil and gas platform for the Statoil Perrigrino offshore field in Brazil — Statoil’s largest field outside Norway.

The firm works closely with its international partners and has specialists in Nigeria and Tunisia who focus on pipeline corrosion protection systems.

This year Metec UK will export cathodic protection to Germany and Belgium for the Borssele Offshore Windfarm in the North Sea, while two contracts for Israeli oil and gas firm Energean will see its products exported to Romania and Greece for a platform jacket and a pipeline contract.