18 March 2021
By Mary Bermingham
mary@TheCork.ie
Businessman Pearse Flynn
Green Rebel Marine has acquired a majority stake in Limerick-based marine data firm IDS-Monitoring. The deal involves an investment of close to €7 million and will result in the creation of 30 jobs over the next two years.
IDS-Monitoring designs, manufactures and supports state-of-the-art data acquisition systems that monitor key parameters offshore. Working together as a team since 1996, their proprietary technology has been deployed for use on hundreds of data buoys in over 30 countries.
The IDS-Monitoring team joins the Geophysics Division, the Aerial Survey Team, Vessel Operations and other GRM specialist groups to provide a well resourced, one-stop solution for detailed marine surveying off the Irish coast.
Green Rebel Marine founder Pearse Flynn says: “Through our series of strategic acquisitions, Green Rebel Marine is now well placed to meet the surveying needs of any provider looking to place power generation equipment offshore. The acquisition of IDS-Monitoring means that we continue to build a wholly owned Irish solution, bringing together the best experience on the island to help undertake hugely detailed and precise survey work. I look forward to working further with the team at IDS-Monitoring to develop and deploy their proprietary technology as Ireland looks towards a greener and more sustainable future”.
“We will be bringing on board an outstanding team with leading and most importantly proven technology. The senior management team in the GRM group will greatly benefit from the addition of John to the team as he has more than 30 years experience collecting and processing data at sea.”
The waters around Ireland are set to become a major source of energy generation, and the quality survey work being undertaken by Green Rebel Marine is designed to both protect that resource and harness its potential.
John Wallace of IDS-Monitoring said: “Last year IDS-Monitoring and Green Rebel Marine began discussions and from the outset it was clear that there was a perfect synergy with aligned ambitions. The discussions that followed culminated in IDS-Monitoring joining the Green Rebel Marine Group, creating an ambitious single point of contact for all marine data requirements. We already deliver data on many marine projects in Ireland and abroad and with this new investment we will very significantly build capacity and greatly expand our fleet of Floating LIDAR solutions.”
Thousands of square miles of ocean are due to undergo ecological assessment as part of the planning process for off-shore wind farms. Green Rebel Marine recently announced the €1.5 million purchase of a DA42 multi-purpose aircraft to conduct aerial surveys off the Irish coast.
Green Rebel Marine was established last year to service the future needs of offshore wind farms. The company has already acquired Crosshaven Boatyard in County Cork, and the first in a fleet of survey vessels, the Roman Rebel.
Plans for offshore wind farms are at an advanced stage with a number of potential fixed and floating operators examining sites along the coast from Dundalk in County Louth, to the Cork coast and beyond. Their construction will not only increase Ireland’s ability to produce renewable energy, it will also create an entire new sector dedicated to servicing their operation.