Scour Prevention Systems Ltd has received ISO9001 quality management accreditation from the British Standards Institute for its patented system of protection for off-shore structures.

The Lowestoft-baed company developed an innovative solution to remediate and eliminate the problem of “scour” on the seabed around structures such as wind turbines, platforms and cables, which is recognised as a significant problem across the offshore energy industries.

Scour is caused by the flow of water speeding up around or over an object, causing a hole to form in the seabed around the object, which gets progressively deeper.

However, Scour Prevention has developed a system of mats, consisting of a matrix of end-of-life vehicle tyres, which stabilise the seabed and stop seabed scour.

The company, which is based at the OrbisEnergy innovation centre in Lowestoft and is a member of the EADT’s Suffolk Future50 listing of firms with high growth potential, says its ISO9001 accreditation reinforces its commitment to delivering high quality products to the offshore industry.

Project manager Warren Hoskins-Davies said: “We’re really proud to have successfully achieved this certification. It helps us to ensure customer satisfaction is at the forefront of everything we do.”

Because the company’s scour prevention Mats are made up of end-of-life vehicle tyres, stringent quality management has always been a key focus to ensure that high quality products are produced. Achieving the accreditation sends a key message that the systems in use by the company are appropriate and effective.

The certification was attained with support from Standards UK which was funded by the Manufacturing Advisory Board as part of its grant scheme for small and medium Enterprises (SMEs).

The company, started in 2009, has to date received investment and innovation grant support from the Technology Strategy Board to successfully complete offshore trials of its anti-scour solution on E.On’s Scroby Sands Wind Farm off the Norfolk coast.

Executive chairman John Balch said: “The accreditation adds yet more weight to our product endorsement from E.On to send a strong signal that we are ready to provide the industry with effective scour solutions.”