A SOUTHAMPTON marine firm has marked the opening of new offices.

BMT Nigel Gee has opened the offices at its base in William Street after a big increase in work over the past two years.

The naval architectural firm’s expansion means it has already taken on new staff and six new jobs will also be created.

The company offers design services for a wide range of seagoing craft such as yachts, naval vessels and offshore windfarm vessels. It currently has 62 projects across 13 countries and three continents, and its growing workload led to an expansion in its workforce and facilities.

John Bonafoux, managing director of BMT Nigel Gee, said that the firm’s turnover had more than doubled over the last two to three years.

He said: “Rising to the challenges that such diversity brings can be both demanding and rewarding.

“Projects such as the engineering of a series of 42m articulated tug barges are helping us to further enhance our engineering and naval architectural expertise for another specialised vessel type.

“The outlook for the rest of 2015 remains both buoyant and full of further challenges.

“Throughout the year we will be continuing to deliver engineering to our exacting customer base, as well as developing new collaborations and exploring other markets. We would like to take this opportunity to thank our clients, partners and colleagues for this success.”