Oceans aims to create waves around the globe with vital financing

Rob Large, Senior Consultant Oceans ESU; David Ward, Finance Yorkshire; and Michelle Gill, Director of Oceans ESU.

Oceans ESU is using the investment from Finance Yorkshire to develop existing services and introduce new ones, as well as strengthening its foothold in key global markets.

Established in 1992, Oceans ESU is an environmental management company providing reed beds for polluted waters, alongside contaminated land services, air, dust and vapour monitoring and consultancy services.

Customers include UK supermarkets, as well as petroleum companies in South Sudan, Malaysia, India and the UK.

The company has a long-standing relationship with the environmental sector in East Africa and recently announced its first contract with the world’s newest country, the Republic of South Sudan. It has also recently completed its first reed bed project in Malaysia.

Co-director Michelle Gill, who runs the company with her father Dr Lucian Gill, said: “This business loan gives us the working capital we need to further develop our work in South Sudan as well as opening up new markets in Kenya and Poland.”

Finance Yorkshire provides finance, loans and investments, from £15,000 to £2m, to help small and medium-sized businesses meet their funding requirements for growth and development.

The project is supported by the EU, and has attracted £30m investment from the European Regional Development Fund, £15m from UK Government and £45m match funding from the European Investment Bank.

So far, Finance Yorkshire has made more than 600 investments totalling over £76m.