Company: Ancora Group, Red7Marine
Business Type: Marine Services
UK & International Business Sales and M&A News
Ancora Group, an integrated group of marine contractors delivering infrastructure and coastal defence solutions across the UK, has acquired Red7Marine, a leading UK marine infrastructure and engineering specialist, backed by private equity firm Sullivan Street Partners.
Red7Marine was founded by Nick Offord to support construction projects along local inland waterways, which later led to larger projects with clients across the energy sector. Over the last 25 years the company has built a reputation for delivering complex infrastructure and access solutions in tidal, coastal and offshore environments, combining technical expertise with the practical capability to operate safely in the most challenging of conditions.
Based in Ipswich with an office in Southampton, its work now spans marine civils, flood defence, offshore renewables, cables and nuclear infrastructure, working with an in-house engineering and fabrication team, and a fleet of jack-up barges and marine plant to offer tailored support across the entire project lifecycle, from early contractor involvement to operations, maintenance and decommissioning.
Kristen Branford, Managing Director of Red7Marine, said:
“I have worked with the wider Ancora team for over 20 years and have built a close and trusted working relationship with them over that time.
“I have always admired the way they approach projects, particularly their innovative thinking, practical creativity, and problem-solving mindset. Their culture and approach to delivery are closely aligned with our own at Red7Marine, which I believe will help create a very strong combined team and working environment.”
Kristen Branford – Managing Director of Red7Marine
Ancora Group is an integrated group of marine contractors delivering infrastructure and coastal defence solutions across the UK. This acquisition brings together Red7Marine, Teignmouth Maritime Services (TMS), Hesselberg Erosion Protection (HEP), and Marine Plant Hire (MPH) to create a national tier 2 integrated marine infrastructure solutions provider, with over 100 years of combined specialist marine infrastructure, vessels, and plant expertise, serving our clients across ports, waterways, coastal and offshore environments.
This is Ancora Group’s first acquisition since it was acquired by Sullivan Street in March 2025 – a UK-based private equity firm specialising in mid- market buy-outs.
Simon Light, CEO of Ancora Group, commented:
“I am incredibly proud of what we, as Ancora Group, have achieved in our first year with Sullivan Street, with clients and communities continuing to face a complex combination of ageing assets, mounting climate, regulatory, geo-political and economic pressures. These challenges call for broader integrated solutions centred on deep levels of asset knowledge, specialist technical capability and the ability to work alongside clients and partners to deliver desired outcomes.
“Red7Marine and Ancora together have over 100 years of highly specialist marine plant and civil engineering experience, delivering project outcomes across the UK’s coastal, inland and offshore environments.
“We are excited about the opportunities our joint capabilities will bring to our clients, employees and partners, and I am looking forward to taking the Group to ever greater heights.”
Simon Light – CEO of Ancora Group
This deal unites two of the UK’s leading marine engineering businesses and strengthens the Ancora Group’s self-delivery capabilities, particularly through Red7Marine’s fleet of specialist jack-up vessels. It will also broaden the group’s national geographic reach by adding a stronger presence on the south coast.
The acquisition supports SSP’s strategy of building a nationwide network of self-delivering marine contractors with specialist expertise, in-house capability and the scale to support complex infrastructure projects. The investment also reflects the increasing demand for resilient marine infrastructure, driven by climate-related pressures, ageing infrastructure and coastal protection needs.
Layton Tamberlin, Managing Partner at Sullivan Street Partners, concluded:
“We are pleased to support this important add-on for Ancora Group. Since we acquired the group in March last year, our long-term goal has been to build a national group of marine contractors with specialist capabilities. This acquisition is a clear step towards that goal, and we are delighted to bring a business with such a strong reputation into the Ancora Group.”
Layton Tamberlin – Managing Partner at Sullivan Street Partners
Financial terms of the transaction have not been disclosed.
Sullivan Street and Ancora Group were supported by advisors Burges Salmon (legal counsel), RSM (financial diligence) and PWC (tax diligence).
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