Correction: This version of the story corrects the number of Moffatt & Nichol offices to 33.

Global planning and engineering consulting firm Moffatt & Nichol has established an office in Wilmington, the firm announced Tuesday in a news release.

The new office, the firm’s second in North Carolina, is in the Self-Help Building at 272 N. Front St., Suite 204. It is staffed by Robert Neal, a coastal engineer with more than 18 years’ experience with coastal, water resource and municipal projects, according to the release.

In negotiating its lease, the firm worked with Efird Manager LLC in Durham, according to Moffatt & Nichol spokeswoman Monica Talgo.

“Our coastal clients know us for offering an elite, influential staff of engineers, planners and scientists who are recognized for solving global issues related to coastal, estuarine and riverine systems,” Raleigh branch manager Tim Reid said in the release. “We’re now offering all of these services under Robert’s leadership within minutes from the doorsteps of our clients.”

Long Beach, California-based Moffat & Nichol has maintained an office in Raleigh since the 1980s, but the number of its coastal clients has grown to the point that an office in the area made sense, firm spokeswoman Monica Talgo said Tuesday.

“We’ve always had a ton of clients on the coast. The city of Wilmington and the Port of Wilmington have been clients. But we’ve never had an opportunity to open a coastal office until now,” she said.

The firm’s major practice areas include port planning, harbors, waterfronts and marinas; coastal engineering, environmental services and water resources; transportation, such as roadway improvement and complex freight movement; and energy.

“For Wilmington, especially, port work is big; also coastal engineering – beach erosion and storm water-related issues,” Talgo said.  

Neal is the sole firm member currently in the Wilmington office, but Moffatt & Nichol expects to expand staff and space as more projects come on board, she added.

The new office brings to 33 the firm’s total number of offices, which are located in the Americas, in Abu Dhabi and in the U.K.