A SUBSEA operator has revealed a senior management change.

DeepOcean chief executive Bart Heijermans is stepping down next month, with chief operating officer Ottar Mæland taking over on an acting basis.

Mr Heijermans will remain on the board as a non-executive director.

DeepOcean, known for helping install offshore wind farm cables, runs a number of operations from an office in Darlington.

Its order book includes digging trenches and laying cabling for the 66-turbine Merkur wind farm, off the German coast.

It also previously secured deals to install cabling for ScottishPower Renewable’s East Anglia One offshore development and fit nearly 100 cables on Dong Energy’s Hornsea Project One wind farm.

Terje Askvig, chairman of the board, said: “We are confident Ottar’s expertise and knowledge will continue to drive the future development of DeepOcean.

“We would like to thank Bart for his hard work and efforts.”

DeepOcean employs more than 100 people and complements its Darlington office with a marine site in South Bank, near Middlesbrough, which is used to prepare underwater equipment for use.