Brazil oil rig link-up for cable system maker

Ellis Patents, based in Rillington, near Malton, in North Yorkshire, won the contract to serve the deepwater oil rig at Roncador, 80 miles off the Brazilian coast, from next year. Its Emperor trefoil cleats will be used on the Petrobras P55 floating production unit.

A cable cleat is a special fixing, designed for power cables and industrial applications, and is used to restrain and retain cables if a short circuit occurs.

Richard Shaw, managing director of Ellis Patents, said: "In recent years we have made a real name for ourselves on a global stage, most notably in key oil rich markets such as the Middle East and Kazakhstan.

"During this time the Brazilian market has been firmly in our sights and a great deal of hard work has gone into securing what we hope will be the first of many orders from this region."

The firm was helped by appointing a local distributor, which ensures it has a permanent presence promoting its products in Brazil. Ellis declined to reveal the value of the contract but said it was for a five figure sum.

Last year the firm won a six-figure contract with a London company to supply cable cleats to a $250m Brazilian floating rig in the Peregrino oilfield. Its global export sales division has also won business in Australia, Germany, the US, Sweden, Norway and Hong Kong.

Brazil is one of the main growth areas for new oil production in the Americas and many foreign companies are drilling there. Petroleum firms have estimated there are one billion gross barrels of oil in place although extracting oil is harder in deeper water.

Ellis was founded in 1977 and designs and manufactures specialised electrical cable and pipe fixings.