Aberdeen-based Decom Engineering has smashed its full-year revenue target in the first half of 2026, securing contracts worth an estimated £4.5 million and setting the business on course for a record £6 million of annual revenue. The performance marks a major step up for the specialist cold-cutting and decommissioning firm, which is increasingly winning work on installation and commissioning projects as well as end‑of‑life asset removal.
Decom’s order book now spans North America, South America, Africa, the Middle East, Australia and the North Sea, with scopes ranging from chain-cutting campaigns to large-scale subsea structural removal and support for new subsea asset deployment. The breadth of activity underlines how demand for the company’s cold-cutting technologies and engineering expertise is growing well beyond its original decommissioning niche.
Managing director Nick McNally said the business was benefiting from both market tailwinds and deliberate changes to how Decom designs and delivers its tools. “Decommissioning remains a core strength of the business, but installation work – supporting clients during the deployment of new subsea assets rather than only at the end of asset life – has become a significant part of our project pipeline,” he said. “Changing market conditions and better market alignment is one factor behind this year’s growth but this sits alongside a major overhaul of our product design, and a change in engineering culture with a focus on innovation, which allows us to be more responsive to customers’ requirements.”
One of the stand‑out campaigns in the first half of the year was in Australia, where Decom completed a subsea flexible flowline removal project with renewables specialist Cyan Renewables. The company deployed its TRACS‑16 cutting and lifting tool to make 1,051 cuts and recover almost 15 kilometres of subsea material over a five‑month campaign, demonstrating the scale and duration of work its technology can support.
The ultra‑light C1‑16 Chopsaw is also seeing strong utilisation across multiple regions and applications. Two units are permanently deployed on mooring chain cutting scopes offshore Brazil, while in the UK North Sea another is engaged on a 60‑day campaign cutting chains and risers on an FPSO, with several further rental deals understood to be in late‑stage negotiation.
In Canada, Decom is in the middle of a summer‑long East Coast installation campaign using the C1‑16 UL Chopsaw, with follow‑on work already pencilled in for 2027 and 2028. Elsewhere, a chain‑cutting project for an FLNG operator offshore West Africa is underway, illustrating how the firm’s tools are now embedded in complex floating production environments as well as fixed subsea infrastructure.
The Middle East is another growth focus, where Decom has developed a custom‑built TRACS‑32 unit scheduled to start work in the fourth quarter of 2026. Some of the manufacturing for that system is taking place locally as part of the company’s “global‑to‑local” internationalisation strategy, which aims to align more closely with regional supply chains and operators.
An expanded toolkit is central to the company’s momentum, with several systems developed in direct response to client demand. The C1‑16UL Chopsaw has become the flagship solution for chain cutting and removal, the lighter ROV‑deployable C1‑10 Chopsaw offers greater manoeuvrability and deeper operating capability, and the TRACS‑32 is designed to take on heavier pipeline removal scopes.
Decom recently achieved ISO 9001, 14001 and 45001 certification, bolstering its compliance credentials with major operators, particularly in highly regulated markets. The integrated quality, environmental and occupational health and safety standards are likely to support further international bids where robust management systems are a prerequisite.
Chairman Keith McDermott highlighted a strategic shift in how clients can access Decom’s technology as another driver of scale. He cited “a strategic change which allows clients to operate Decom equipment – with appropriate training provided – as a factor in improving scalability and extending the company’s ability to deploy its technologies more widely.”
McDermott said the business had already outstripped its original 2026 revenue goal and was building strong visibility into next year. “We set a target of £4.3 million for 2026 and we have already exceeded that figure at the halfway stage, so expect to double our year-on-year revenue, and have a raft of work already secured for 2027,” he said. “What is encouraging is that while our decommissioning legacy is a core element of our business, clients are increasingly recognising the value of engaging our technology and expertise much earlier in the lifecycle of an asset.”
Looking ahead, McDermott said the focus was on scaling sustainably while maintaining delivery standards. “We want to continue investing in our people, our equipment and our capability while making sure we deliver for every client. That’s a good position to be in and it gives us a great platform for the future.”
In Case You Missed It:
Scotland has drawn £127m of Growth Guarantee Scheme lending across 766 facilities, but UK demand for SME finance keeps falling
Dundee sustainable engineering specialist Radix tops £9m turnover as growth continues
Aberdeen Investments Lands £1bn Flood Re Mandate in Major Win for Strategic Insurance Group
Based in Aberdeen, Decom Engineering positions itself as a major provider of green decommissioning solutions to oil and gas contractors, aiming to improve safety and efficiency while reducing environmental impact. Its range of cold‑cutting Chopsaws can perform “clean cuts” through materials from 1 to 46 inches in diameter, operating in harsh conditions including subsea, and are promoted as a cost‑effective, snag‑free alternative to diamond wire saws and hydraulic shears for pipes, conductors, umbilicals, chains, wire rope and other components.
