Cortez Subsea Appoints New Operations Director

Subsea services and technology products company Cortez Subsea has appointed a new operations director, as the company looks to expand its scope internationally. Tony McKay has joined the company at a time of rapid growth as demand for their services is expected to increase following U.K. patent approval of their Modular Pipelay System (MPS). 

With more than 35 years of professional experience working onshore and offshore in the oil and gas industry, McKay was recently successful in turning Topaz Oil and Gas Limited in UAE from a loss making company into a profit generating business which was sold on. As a former Projects Manager of Kellog Brown & Root he managed two of the first major decommissioning projects in the North Sea, including the award winning Conoco Viking “A” abandonment. He was also instrumental in setting up the Petrofac Brownfield Engineering division, which expanding his business development expertise.

As operations director of Cortez Subsea, McKay will bring his international project management and business growth expertise to the company as it continues to experience rapid growth both in the U.K. and internationally.

Managing director of Cortez Subsea, Alasdair Cowie said, “We are gearing up for an intense period of activity in our business as we continue to meet demand in the industry for the services we provide across subsea pipeline, inspection and intervention. With Tony’s track record of delivering consistently commendable results in the projects he has been involved in and responsible for, I am confident that we can accomplish a lot in our next phase of business.”

Cowie continued, “We’re already working on projects across Trinidad and Tobago and are looking to expand our international footprint alongside domestic growth in the business. Tony comes with years of success in competitive sectors of the industry and will complement the ambition of Cortez Subsea as we evolve.”

Cortez Subsea is focused on advancing technology across subsea pipeline services in an effort to maximizing value to clients globally. The company is preparing to begin sea trials of the MPS in January 2015 after being granted the U.K. patent for the technology earlier this year. With MPS, shallow water pipelay will be available in the North Sea for the first time, boosting efficient productivity in the region.

“I was attracted to the ambition of Cortez Subsea to become a key player within the subsea services sector both at home and internationally,” McKay said. “I hope to enhance future projects by drawing on my own experience of building successful businesses across the world.”

“This is a great time for me to come into a company which is as passionate about innovation and creating solutions as I am,” McKay added.