RSK advances growth strategy and supports offshore wind with Brown & May Marine Australia

RSK Group has announced the introduction of a new company to its RSK Australia businesses with Brown & May Marine Australia (BMMA) supporting RSK’s Global Growth Strategy and responding to the needs of the country’s developing offshore wind industry.

Brown & May Marine is a UK-headquartered company that joined RSK Group in 2022, allowing the group to draw on more than 35 years’ experience in the provision of commercial fisheries and fish ecology consultancy services to the offshore industries. To support this next stage of development in Australia, Lachlan McKinnon has been appointed BMMA’s senior fisheries manager.

RSK Australia Managing Director Mark Haydock said: “We welcome Lachlan and the new Brown & May Marine Australia business to RSK Australia. Part of our growth strategy in Australia is to bring quality RSK companies into the country where they can add real value and to support them as they develop a successful presence. The energy transition sector is one of RSK’s core sectors in its 2030 Global Growth Strategy, and the presence of BMMA and Lachlan will be an important step in achieving our ambitious targets.”

Mark added that offshore wind in Australia is at an early stage of development. “Brown & May Marine has already been utilising its experience in the UK and Europe to remotely support the development of strategies and engagement with the Australian offshore wind developers as they seek to promote co-existence of offshore energy with the fishing industry and to reduce risks to projects.

“With a number of feasibility licences now issued to develop offshore wind farms at selected locations around the coast of Australia, the next step in the development of the projects requires a more feet-on-the-quayside or feet-in-the-boat approach.”

Mark said that Lachlan had more than 30 years’ experience working in fisheries science and management, aquaculture development, commercial fishing and seafood export. Most recently, he was the senior fisheries manager with Southerly Ten, the company that is developing the Star of the South offshore wind farm project off the coast of Gippsland.

“Based in Gippsland, Lachlan will be looking at building and training a team. This will ensure that BMMA is equipped to provide a high-quality commercial fisheries advisory business and fisheries liaison officers in Australia and to service not only the offshore wind industry but also other users of the seabed, including oil and gas companies and developers of submarine cables. Supporting Lachlan in the Australian team’s training initiatives and projects will be Brown & May Marine UK Senior Fisheries Consultant John Watt.”