A six-storey container complex for the Blue Giant dock ship, now known as the Mexican Giant, was our first venture into the offshore segment. The owner received a charter order in the Gulf of Mexico and therefore required additional accommodation, sanitary facilities, locker rooms, kitchens, social rooms and offices to house the extra 197 crew members. 
ELA developed a bespoke solution that remains in use to this day. This milestone marked the first step on our path into the offshore container business.

The design phase was completed in mid-2011, after which the 20ft ELA Offshore Allrounder was born. Small but mighty, functional, refined and fully certified – a dream for the marketing team. Components such as stairways and gangways that could be combined to quickly produce multi-storey container complexes were also developed at the same time.
Armed with our product data sheets created in-house, we canvassed prospective clients. We proudly showcased our latest innovations wherever we went.

In the first quarter of 2013, we successfully won another major contract. The customer required temporary accommodation to house employees for the commissioning of a converter platform in the North Sea. ELA leased a total of 30 20ft Offshore containers, six stairways and 72 gangways for a three-storey complex constructed on the platform.

Growing demand for mobile room solutions in the offshore segment led to the establishment of ELA Container Offshore GmbH in 2014. By entering a new, future-oriented segment, we were responding to rising demand for accommodation containers for platforms and vessels to account for the growing number of energy companies being drawn out to sea. The spatial proximity of the ELA Container Offshore GmbH premises offered synergies and a solid foundation for our future development.

We were up against a number of entirely new challenges when ELA Container Offshore USA Corp. was established. The first challenge involved finding market acceptance and suitability for our compact room solutions in the US market. A container complex with three 20ft containers, two stairways and four gangways was used as a ‘showroom’ in a separately leased warehouse. One year later we presented the container complex at an exhibition, where we received plenty of useful feedback.

Another milestone in 2016 was the launch of the 33ft ELA Offshore Premium Plus. Successful use of this new container on an offshore converter platform demonstrated its suitability for applications in demanding environments like the North Sea. Efficient, robust and with plenty of space – the container offered maximum comfort for the staff on site. 

Based on the success of our US offshore venture, a company from Trinidad and Tobago reached out to us. They were looking for mobile offshore accommodation units for several projects. Following a short visit to Houston, Texas, and a viewing of the modules, the first order was placed for a number of 20ft ELA Offshore Allrounder modules, stairways and gangways. A further order for 16 33ft ELA Offshore Premium Plus containers and four stairway containers followed in the same year. The strong partnership endures to this day.

Same demand, new requirements. Our objective was to develop an optimised container type that could be used both onshore at ports and nearshore at sea. However, compared to the containers used inland, these containers would need to be able to withstand the stormier weather conditions experienced on the coast.
We got to work right away and launched the 20ft ELA Offshore Light Container soon after. By adding this new container type to our rental fleet, we were then in the position to offer our customers even more flexible solutions. 

The coronavirus pandemic created an entirely new set of challenges for our business. Demand for single occupancy accommodation modules at sea rose sharply. Why? Any outbreak of covid on a vessel would result in a total loss. The law also mandated a ban on direct personal contact. As a result, it would no longer be possible to have two members of staff in each accommodation unit. We we able to quickly provide additional temporary ‘mobile cabins’ with our offshore containers to help significantly curb the issue. 

When we started out, who would have thought we’d be here celebrating our 10th anniversary? It wouldn’t have been possible for us to reach this milestone without the long-standing commitment of our partners, suppliers and customers. We would like to take this opportunity to extend our deepest thanks. We couldn’t be more proud of all the things we have achieved together and look forward to our continued partnership and growth moving ahead. Here’s to our partnerships and the future challenges we will successfully navigate together!