Administrators for offshore engineering firm SLP have praised staff after the completion work on a power module as part of a major oilfield project. Pricewaterhouse Coopers said the "power from shore module" had sailed away from Lowestoft yesterday, heading for a new BP field centre at the Valhall oilfield in the Norwegian Sea.

Administrators for offshore engineering firm SLP have praised staff after the completion work on a power module as part of a major oilfield project.

Pricewaterhouse Coopers said the 'power from shore module' had sailed away from Lowestoft yesterday, heading for a new BP field centre at the Valhall oilfield in the Norwegian Sea.

Completion of a living quarters module, which looms high on Lowestoft's seafront, is due to be finished imminently, the firm said.

Both were due to the finished by April after SLP was awarded the contract in 2007 by BP Norge AS.

However, the firm went into administration in November last year following a �60m contractual dispute with Maersk, delaying the project by six weeks.

The work has helped prevent hundreds of jobs losses at the company, a division of which was bought by Zefier, a subsidiary of Dutch engineering firm Smulders last month, securing 17 jobs.

About 100 jobs were lost from the firm in March and a further 60 went in May. Last night, June 18, PWC confirmed five apprentices had been made redundant.

PWC said 'urgent efforts' were continuing to complete the sale of what is left of SLP to Zefier, which had been given an eight week exclusivity on buying the rest of SLP, potentially securing some 600 jobs.

Stephen Oldfield, one of the joint administrators for SLP, said: 'We've taken all measures we possibly could to protect and preserve the position of the apprentices.

'Overall I'm quite pleased with the way we've been able to look after apprentices during the administration. But five were made redundant last week, but having finished a critical point in their studies first.'

He said SLP and its customers would be hosting a family day on Saturday, June 19, for staff families to tour the work in progress on the yard and have a barbeque at Somerleyton Hall.

He said: 'I have said before that the SLP team can produce a world class project.

'With the sailing away of the Power From Shore module on Friday and the imminent completion of the living quarters module, the SLP team has done itself proud.

'This world class result really helps my continuing urgent efforts to get the sale of the SLP business to Smulders over the line.

'The deal is not yet done but matters are progressing satisfactorily and I hope to announce a deal soon.'