The company started as the Haugesund-based Stolt Nielsen Seaway and offered divers for the exploration of the North Sea in 1970.

In 1997 the company won its first ultra-deepwater contract off West Africa, resulting in the acquisition of Houston-based Ceanic Corporation, Danish NKT Flexibles and ETPM of France.

In 2005 the Stolt-Nielsen Group sold its ownership in the company and listed it on the Oslo Stock Exchange and NASDAQ.

The company had four main operational areas: Subsea Umbilical Risers and Flowlines (SURF); Inspection, Maintenance and Repair (IMR) and Conventional Field Development.

[3] Main Joint Ventures included: Seaway Heavy Lifting in Netherlands, NKT Flexibles in Denmark, SapuraAcergy in Malaysia, Global Oceon Engineers in Nigeria.