Hilco is seeking offers to acquire the intellectual property and tangible assets of Orwell Offshore Limited (In Liquidation) (“Orwell” or the “Company”) on behalf of the Liquidators of the Company, Lee De’ath and Tom Gardiner of Begbies Traynor (Central) LLP.
Orwell operates as a specialist offshore engineering design business serving the oil and gas sector. The Company focuses on the design of turret buoys, single-point moorings and related offshore loading systems that enable vessels to safely store and transfer hydrocarbons in deepwater and remote environments where fixed infrastructure is not practical.
The Company acted as an independent design house, supporting FPSO/FSO operators, oil majors and marine contractors with concept, FEED and detailed engineering. Orwell delivered complete engineering design packages, including drawings, calculations, specifications, and installation procedures, which were then fabricated and installed by clients or their contractors.
Over time, the Company developed a suite of proven, repeatable designs and standard modules for turret and buoy systems, allowing vessels to safely turn with the wind and sea while continuing to transfer cargo, improving safety and reliability in challenging offshore conditions. Through years of live project delivery, Orwell built a substantial body of valuable organisational knowledge and know-how, including CAD libraries, design templates, engineering calculations and internally developed software tools. Historically, the Company operated internationally, with a particular focus on West Africa, delivering high-value, engineering-intensive projects each year. Clients received licences to project-specific designs while Orwell retained ownership of its underlying IP.
This acquisition provides an opportunity to secure an established portfolio of specialist offshore engineering designs, technical documentation, proprietary software tools, and accumulated know-how. Together, these assets offer a buyer an immediate platform to enter or expand within the turret mooring and offshore terminal market without the time and cost required to build equivalent capability from scratch.
Orwell established itself as a specialist and technically credible engineering design house within the offshore mooring and marine terminal sector.
The Company’s reputation has been built through the successful delivery of concept, FEED and detailed engineering packages for offshore production and storage projects, supporting operators, EPC contractors and marine integrators. Over time, Orwell acted as an independent technical partner to international oil majors and contractors, including organisations such as Shell, BP, TotalEnergies and SBM Offshore, reinforcing its standing as a trusted specialist within complex offshore space. The brand has also benefited from visibility across industry channels and media sites, with features and references in specialist publications such as Offshore Engineer Magazine, Offshore Technology and Oil & Gas Journal.
For an acquirer, the Orwell brand offers a credible, sector-recognised brand identity, providing an established platform for customer continuity, market re-entry or integration into an existing offshore engineering business.
The Company likely holds rights in unregistered trade marks protecting the “Orwell” brand name and logos.
Orwell holds a focused portfolio of 40 granted patents protecting core elements of its buoy and turret mooring system architecture, centred on the mechanical configuration, installation, and maintenance method of offshore buoy and bearing assemblies used within single-point mooring and turret systems.
The Company’s portfolio comprises a single international patent family with protection in multiple jurisdictions, including the US and the EU and a territorial filing in Cyprus, relating to an apparatus and method for exchanging a buoy bearing, covering the structural arrangement and servicing approach for buoy/turret bearing systems that enable safe installation, replacement and maintenance of critical load-bearing components without extensive offshore intervention or full system disassembly.
Collectively, the Company’s patents protect practical engineering solutions aimed at improving reliability and serviceability of turret and buoy systems, reducing offshore downtime during bearing replacement or overhaul, enabling safer maintenance in harsh marine environments, and lowering lifecycle operating costs for operators, focusing on deployable, field-proven mechanical designs and maintenance methodologies, directly aligned with how offshore terminals are constructed and operated.
Full details on the Company’s patents are available via a virtual data room.
The Company developed proprietary software to support the design and delivery of its turret buoy, single-point mooring and offshore terminal systems, automating key structural, hydrodynamic and mooring analyses, enabling rapid concept evaluation, standardised design outputs and efficient preparation of FEED and detailed engineering packages. Rather than being customer-facing products, the Company’s software underpins Orwell’s delivery capability by improving speed, consistency, and technical accuracy across projects.
Orwell has developed a substantial body of proprietary organisational knowledge and know-how accumulated through years of live offshore engineering projects and embodied within its design methodologies, technical documentation, and reusable engineering assets. The Company’s records include an extensive library of 3D CAD models, engineering drawings, calculation templates, design standards, fabrication packages, installation procedures. Together, these materials capture proven system architectures and repeatable design approaches refined through practical field deployment.
The Company holds the primary orwelloffshore.com domain name, which is available to acquire.
The Company likely owns the copyright in the website content hosted at its domain, showcasing the business and its technology.
Rights to the Company’s LinkedIn social media account are available to acquire.
Full details on the Company’s social media account are available via a virtual data room.
The Company also holds data on previous and prospective customers and strategic partners, including named points of contact and contact details.
The Company holds assembly equipment, stock parts, work in progress and office and IT equipment, which are available to acquire.
All expressions of interest and bids are to be directed to Hilco in writing. A Bid Submission Form is available on request. Please contact Hilco to gain access to a virtual data room for further information on signing a confidentiality agreement.
Hilco is acting as exclusive agent to the Company and its Liquidators in connection with the proposed sale of some or all of the Company’s assets. The Liquidators act as an agent of the Company and without personal liability.
All sales are made strictly on an “as is, where is” basis. Only such right, title and interest (if any) as the Company may have in the assets will be transferred to a purchaser. No warranties, guarantees, or representations (express or implied) are provided by the Company, its Liquidators, or Hilco in respect of the assets or any information supplied. All parties must rely on their own enquiries and due diligence. Any information provided is for convenience only and has not been independently verified.
All offers are subject to the addition of VAT at the prevailing rate, where applicable. A non-refundable deposit equal to 20% of the agreed purchase price must be paid by the successful purchaser within 48 hours of offer acceptance. Payment of the deposit grants the purchaser the exclusive right to proceed with the acquisition of the relevant assets for a limited period and on the terms agreed. A Buyer’s Premium of 10% of the final purchase price is payable by the successful purchaser in addition to the agreed purchase price, is non-negotiable and is payable at the same time and in the same manner as the purchase price and forms a condition of sale.
Legal completion must occur within five (5) business days of offer acceptance, unless otherwise agreed in writing by the Company and its Liquidators.
