Founded in 1977.
The Maris Group of Companies was founded by Laurie Ayling. His intention was to create a Company which would employ the most experienced engineers and managers in Oil & Gas Subsea Production Projects and to develop such a valuable 'resource' for the benefit of the Petroleum Industry.
Laurie Ayling is a Mechanical Scientist and Chemical Engineer who had worked for Shell for 14 years, including a Scholarship to Christs College, Cambridge, rising to Senior Corporate Planner (Shell EAS/11) for Thailand, Philippines and Vietnam. After 2 years in SEAL, he managed the construction of the first Condeep Gravity Platform Beryl 'A' for Mobil E&P.
Then, in 1977, he founded the 'Maris' Companies. For seven years the Company grew steadily, backed mainly by Shell and UK Government, and established the new name of 'MARIS' in the offshore world.
By 1983 Maris had offices in Windsor, London and Aberdeen and marketing companies in Houston and Oslo. The Maris Group joint ventured with Seanor in Stavanger to form 'Seanor Maris' in Norway and secured a major investment, in Maris, by NC (Norwegian Contractors). Maris sold off Maris Ltd in Aberdeen, as a 'sharp end' Diving and Inspection Services Company; and then concentrated on developing new technology. Although the major clients were Oil Companies, the scope of Maris's marine technology widened to serve the communications, fishing, mining and military industries. Hence the name 'MARIS' ('of the sea' in Latin), was suitably chosen to encompass the interests of the various marine technology companies.
From 1990 to date Maris has concentrated on filing patents and managing Joint Industry Projects. Laurie Ayling was asked by the DTI (Department of Trade and Industry) to assist personally in the DTI's 'think tank' in Aberdeen, on new technology for the Offshore Industry. This lead to Laurie's concept of "Continuous Circulation Drilling" being the first JIP to be supported by the Government's new ITF (Industry Technology Facilitator). See 'The CCS' above.
Meanwhile, around the year 2000, Maris developed a seabed drilling rig and seabed mud processing plant for the Kara Sea and an Alluvial mining machine for S.W.Africa. Maris, as a Group now include: Maris International (in Ireland) filing new Patents and IP; Maris Seabed Rigs Ltd (in UK) in the middle of a new JIP; and Maris Fish Ranches Ltd (in UK and Ireland) dedicated to saving the fisheries, with their first full scale project in Aceh Province, Indonesia).