A SUBSEA firm, which has a base in the North-East, has secured a major maintenance deal.

DeepOcean says it Norwegian division will carry out a two-year contract to inspect and repair equipment for Dong Energy in Danish and Norwegian waters.

The deal also includes inspection work on remotely-operated vehicles, which are used to dig seabed routes for pipes and cables.

Rolf Ivar Sordel, DeepOcean’s commercial director, said: “Winning this contract in fierce competition with other subsea contractors shows our competitiveness.

“The Danish sector has been a target for us in the North Sea, and with this contract we are strengthening our presence in the region.”

DeepOcean UK, based in Darlington, earlier this year won the largest contract in its history to work on a £1bn UK energy development.

It was awarded a contract to dig trenches for underwater cabling on the Western Link project.

The scheme will transfer 2,200mw of power, enough to serve the needs of about two million people, from Scotland to England and Wales through cables in the Irish Sea.

DeepOcean, which has bases in Darlington and Teesport and employs about 120 North-East workers, will carry out trenching and site surveys across 357 miles of cable in depths of up to 165 metres.