Positive outlook for Scottish shiprepairer

With 2010 bookings at the Aberdeen and Leith facilities reaching 54, more than half that number are already booked for 2011.

The 112m x 21m x 6.5m dock in Aberdeen was scheduled to have handled 40 vessels before the end of 2011. This facility has already seen the Grampain Osprey and the catamaran ferry Pentalina docked and is almost fully booked up to May with a total of a further 18 vessels now booked for 2011 taking up almost 60% capacity for the dry dock.

At the Leith facility, work was carried out on 14 ships docked in the 168m x 21.3m x 7.7m drydock since operations began there in March 2010 following a major refurbishment of Imperial Dock by Dales Marine. A further 11 vessels are booked for 2011 with capacity to double-dock 10 of these ships, maximising the facility’s capacity. The vessels booked include supply vessels, pelagic fishing vessels, ferries and tugs.

In Aberdeen, Leith and Montrose, Dales has been very busy with afloat repairs on all types of vessels mostly related to the offshore industry. The company has also received delivery of a new 80 tonne capacity all terrain crane to add to its existing 80 and 50 tonne cranes.

Michael Milne, Dales Marine director and general manager, said: “The additional capability at Leith, including the capacity to handle two vessels simultaneously, is proving a valuable asset in its own right and in complementing our Aberdeen operations, with the Imperial Dock making an important contribution to the activity.”