A NORTH-east offshore services firm has expanded its business south with a six-figure investment in a quayside fabrication facility in Dundee Port.
Motive Offshore Group has launched Motive Fabrication in Dundee after successfully negotiating with the port to take over the site, which boasts a deepwater quay side facility, alongside a 12,000 sq ft workshop and 2,000 sq ft office block.
The base allows Motive Fabrication to reinstate the fabrication service at the Port for subsea contractors and vessel owners.
The move by Motive Offshore coincides with the firm securing a £1.5m contract to manufacture and mobilise a 5,000-tonne carousel loading tower complete with tensioner and other deck equipment for Swan Hunter UK, which heralds one of the biggest contracts to date.
The equipment for Swan Hunter will be operated by Motives’ Offshore technicians, offshore Ghana in Q2 and loaded out from Dundee Port.
Marine specialists, Motive Offshore Group, is headquartered in Boyndie, Banff, Aberdeenshire, and has a total of 60 employees across its divisions, which include marine equipment manufacture and rental, spooling and inspection, and fabrication.
Motive Fabrication in Dundee currently employs ten staff and is looking to increase the headcount to support upcoming projects.
Gary Mitchelson, who previously ran Riverside Engineering in Dundee before selling his business to Rigmar in 2012, has joined Motive Fabrication as operations director and will manage the business at the Dundee base.
Mr Mitchelson said: “Dundee is a thriving city and with continued investment in the Port facilities it is fast becoming a preferred option for heavy loads and decommissioning projects, as well as fabrication for North Sea firms.
“Motive Offshore has a well-established track record in the industry and the investment in the Dundee facility has come at the right time to capitalise on the current upgrade on port facilities which will place Dundee as a leader in the industry.”
James Gregg of Motive Offshore Group, said: “We are continuing to invest and diversify into new areas and securing the facility in Dundee with the launch of Motive Fabrication is a positive move for us.
“We are in the process of delivering a large scale manufacturing project out of the Dundee base and we are working on a number of other contracts. We already manufacture heavy equipment at our base in Aberdeenshire but the addition of a quayside facility in Dundee will significantly add to our capacity.”
The Port of Dundee is continuing to attract a number of North Sea oil and gas businesses looking for more cost effective options for inspection, repair and maintenance of vessels and jack up and semisubmersible drilling rigs.
The Port of Dundee’s owners, Forth Ports Limited, has invested £10million to extend the quay, develop a new 25 acre yard, as well as a landing pad for a permanently installed 1,500-tonne crane to support decommissioning projects all within 300m of Motives new facility.
The investment is set to place the port at the forefront of the oil and gas decommissioning and offshore renewable sectors. Construction is well underway and expected to be completed by yearend 2017.
David Webster, port manager at Dundee, said: “We warmly welcome Motive Fabrication to the Port of Dundee. It is great to see further investment in the port to further strengthen Dundee’s position as a hub for specialist North Sea oil and gas and decommissioning projects.
“Motive brings specialist skills and services to the port and through our partnership, this will create a unique offering for our existing and future customers.”
ENDS
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