Aberdeen-based SPEX Group has appointed Jamie Oag as CEO, the company announced.

According to the release, Oag hopes to develop SPEX, originally set up to provide explosives expertise, products and services to the oil and gas industry, and has begun by structuring the company into three divisions to better focus on its distinct operational areas: SPEX Services, SPEX Production and SPEX Offshore.

Oag founded and built the rig cooling company OPTIMA before selling the business to Tetra in 2012. He has made a number of investments in hi-tech businesses in the Scottish energy sector and is majority shareholder of SPEX.

SPEX is in the process of developing a series of tools for Shell in Houston. One of these tools, the Emergency Separation Tool (EST), which allows operators to sever non-shearable components such as drill collars and casing, has been designed, engineered, prototyped, and tested in 18 months, and has recently undergone successful testing in the Gulf of Mexico, according to the release.

SPEX has a license to manufacture, market, and service the EST. The group is also actively working on a number of other high profile projects with Shell.