The managing director of a major north-east marine engineering company said Montrose Port is becoming an increasingly important service base for North Sea shipping.
Dales Marine Services managing director Maurice Nicol said overspill from the overcrowded docks at Aberdeen meant more clients are opting to take their vessels down the coast to Montrose for repair and maintenance work.
The company has a permanent presence at Montrose but staff are brought in from the firm’s other operational bases at the Port of Leith and at Aberdeen to carry out work.
“The reason we went to Montrose was to satisfy our clients, as Aberdeen is pretty well full up at all times of the day,” Mr Nicol said.
“Montrose is getting spin-off from that as we follow our clients’ needs. We go to Fraserburgh, Peterhead, Montrose, Leith and we go to the west coast wherever ships are operating and where we are requested to follow them.”
The company was founded in 1987 and is part of the Dales Group, which includes the Gillanders motor dealership and a property company. It can carry out maintenance and repair work on vessels at dry dock or afloat at the harbourside or at anchor.
The firm also has a general engineering capability which allows it to fabricate and install new vessel modifications.
Accounts just published at Companies House for the year to December 31 2012 show revenues at Dales Marine increased by almost £2 million in the period from £22.7m in 2011 to £24.7m.
Pre-tax profits at the firm, which has approximately 125 permanent staff and which services the pelagic fishing and ferry sectors in addition to the North Sea oil and gas industry, were also marginally up on the previous year at £3.48m.
Mr Nicol said the company was continually looking to grow. The recent signing of two new long-term leases for dry facilities one at Aberdeen Harbour which runs until 2034 and the other which is through to 2032 at Leith’s Imperial Dock was evidence of the firm’s long-term ambitions.
He said Montrose Port was also a part of the firm’s plans, and he praised a recent multi-million-pound redevelopment of two of the deep-water berths at the town’s docks.
“I know no reason why it can’t grow if they continue to develop and invest in Montrose,” Mr Nicol said.
“They have some fairly substantial clients down there on a permanent basis, which can only do the facility good.
“What we have to do is just keep developing to try to keep up with our clients’ requirements. Modern day ships are much more technical, so we are always trying to keep pace with developments.”