Aurora Energy Services acquires Encomara to bolster floating wind and subsea capabilities

Aurora Energy Services acquires Encomara to bolster floating wind and subsea capabilities

Pictured (L-R): Ian Cobban, Ian Donald, Doug Duguid and Malcolm Bowie

Aurora has acquired Encomara, a specialist in floating wind deployment systems and subsea engineering, signalling a significant investment to support the commercialisation of Encomara’s flagship SQUID mooring connection technology.

Aurora Energy Services CEO, Doug Duguid, said: “Encomara’s SQUID system is a step-change in floating wind development and this acquisition aligns perfectly with our technical strategy.

“SQUID allows operators to modularise and industrialise offshore construction and combined with our fabrication and engineering capability, it gives Aurora a unique position in the market.



“We are committed to providing key investment in the SQUID system to develop prototypes, in extensive offshore testing and roll-out to market, as we believe this is a true game-changer and it supports our ambition to lead in the energy transition.”

Encomara’s UK-based team will relocate to Aurora House in Dyce maintaining its brand and product identity while benefiting from Aurora’s global infrastructure and client network.

Its consultancy business, which offers specialist advice on floating wind, mooring systems, and subsea field development, will continue to operate as normal but now has access to greater scale, resource and reach.

The integration of Encomara’s leadership team into Aurora is also central to the acquisition. Executive chairman Ian Donald and CEO Raymond Semple, will join Aurora’s board and executive leadership team, with Mr Semple assuming the role of chief operating officer, based at Aurora’s Houston office, while Ecomara’s chief technology officer, Malcolm Bowie, will continue in the same role in Aurora.

Current Aurora COO, Tom Smith, will take on a new role as regional director for EAME (Europe Africa and Middle East) to harness growing market opportunities and will continue as a member of the executive board.

Mr Donald has more than 40 years of offshore subsea field development experience and held senior roles at Venture, Apache and Neptune, He also previously founded Enpro Subsea and DES Operations Ltd, both acquired after successful global commercialisation of patented technology. Mr Semple, formerly COO of Technip North America and Brazil, and most recently head of Baker Hughes’ Subsea Production Systems business, brings three decades of operational and project delivery expertise across deepwater basins worldwide.

Mr Donald said: “Aurora’s ambition and capability give Encomara the ideal platform to accelerate our roadmap and bring the SQUID system to more markets, more quickly. Together, we can industrialise floating wind deployment while staying focused on innovation, safety, and engineering quality.”

Ian Cobban, a co-founder of Encomara, added: “I’m very excited to see the Aurora and Encomara teams move to commercialise the SQUID system, which will become a key part of the new Floating Offshore Wind (FLOW) delivery model.”

Aurora, established in 2022 and headquartered in Inverness, Scotland, now operates across 11 international bases in the UK, United States, Australia and South America, providing fabrication, subsea engineering, technical manpower, inspection, integrity, and specialist access services to clients across renewables, conventional energy and decommissioning.

Share icon
Share this article: