NorthConnect was delighted to be on board for the first Highlands and Islands Renewable Energy Awards held last week, sponsoring 'Best Marine Operator in the Renewables Sector'.

The winner of the award, at the ceremony hosted at the Kingsmills Hotel in Inverness, was Orkney's Green Marine. No stranger to winning awards, Green Marine's origins lay in the fishing industry and in operating support vessels for the oil and gas sector, before the company launched in 2012 with a specialism in support services for the renewable energy sector.

Although based within the hub of marine renewables in Orkney, Green Marine is an international company which operates throughout Europe and recently expanded its fleet with the purchase of a new 26m vessel to service the offshore wind sector.

Managing director Jason Schofield welcomed the creation of the awards in recognition of the work being carried out in the sector in the Highlands and Islands.

"We see this event as an excellent way to recognise local companies and people for their outstanding achievements, along with an opportunity to network.

"To have an industry event like this, that is focussed on the dedicated people and innovative companies in the Highlands and Islands is a fantastic way to showcase what is and can be achieved in this region."

NorthConnect's Communications Manager, Fiona Milligan said: "We are delighted to be able to help celebrate the outstanding contribution that companies in the north of Scotland make to the renewables sector. Like NorthConnect, they underpin the whole process of bringing clean, green energy into the homes of us all."