North Star, the UK’s leading fully integrated shipowner-operator, has relocated into new headquarters at Prime Four Business Park in Aberdeen. This commitment to Aberdeen represents a significant investment in the company’s long-term growth strategy within the offshore wind sector.
The move, from Queen’s Road in the city’s west end to the global energy services hub in Kingswells reflects the company’s continued expansion and follows a 20% increase of onshore workers joining the business in the last two years. The relocation offers 50% more floor space, while future proofing the UK business with enhanced technology and collaborative workspaces that have already improved cross-departmental communication.
The open plan office suites will house all Aberdeen-based onshore personnel, as well as the company’s 24/7 safety critical vessel operations control centre. This operations hub, part of its fully integrated in-house team, oversees North Star’s 42 emergency response and rescue vessels (ERRVs), deployed across approximately 50 North Sea installations around the clock.
North Star CEO, Gitte Gard Talmo, said: “This new space provides the next-generation infrastructure we need to continue scaling our business while staying true to our roots. Aberdeen remains the perfect location for our HQ, surrounded by accomplished maritime colleges, a highly competent supply chain, and the city’s strong heritage of offshore and engineering excellence. This proximity to emerging and experienced talent is essential for us as a people-driven business passionate about making this industry healthy and vibrant for decades to come.”
Founded 138 years ago, North Star has evolved from serving the fisheries sector to becoming a trusted provider of critical offshore support services. Including its six newbuild service operations vessels (SOVs) for Europe’s wind market it currently operates a 48-strong fleet as well as handling over 900 port calls and 7,000 offshore transfers annually.
The company’s growth is being fuelled by accelerated opportunities in renewables. Since entering the market in 2022, offshore wind now accounts for 60% of the firm’s business. It has already invested more than £512 million in next generation hybrid SOVs as part of its ambition to add 40 to its fleet by 2040. This commitment is backed by its private equity owners, Partners Group, a leading global private markets firm.
The move follows recent investment in digitalisation, which saw North Star invest over £2 million in a new enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, allowing the maritime company to integrate knowledge, streamline processes and analyse data to improve performance across all elements of the business.
The new Kingswells HQ follows investment in upgrading its office in Lowestoft and a new location in Hamburg. The firm has also appointed Maria Olsson as Operations Coordinator who will be supporting SOV operations and vessel project/client management in the German city, helping to advance its European portfolio.
With a workforce of over 1,400 offshore and onshore employees, North Star is well positioned for sustained growth, delivering essential services across Europe’s energy infrastructure for decades to come.