A TEESSIDE training company has won a contract working on an oil and gas project in the Caspian Sea.

TTE International will act as consultants to Sakhalin Energy Investment Company (SEIC), which is developing onshore and offshore facilities on Sakhalin Island.

Two consultants from TTE have spent two months developing a training simulator.

The simulator will be part of the system used to run the SEIC facility.

TTE is hoping the £30,000 contract will lead to the company being part of the Sakhalin operation's training and development programmes, working closely with Shell, a major stakeholder in SEIC.

The contract includes the operation of a training centre and the development and delivery of curriculum materials.

Steve Grant, group finance manager at TTE International's parent company TTE Management and Technical Training Group, said: "TTE's experience and reputation is growing further afield and this project is an example of the quality of UK technical skills, which are being applied across the globe.

"This contract is the first stage of building relationships in the Far East that could open up some interesting training and consultancy projects for TTE similar to our contract with BP Caspian Sea in Azerbaijan.

"That scheme began as a consultancy project and led to the company winning one of the most prized training contracts in the world."