Dales Marine Services

Another Busy Year Ahead For Dales Marine

Ship repair and maintenance specialist, Dales Marine Services, is booking another busy year ahead following an excellent performance on Scotland's east coast in 2009.

With 42 dockings at its Aberdeen facility by year-end, Dales will have averaged around just four days a month when the dry dock was not occupied during one of its busiest years yet.

Vessels have included the usual mix of offshore industry supply and standby ships; ferries – including a catamaran; and tugs – and even a French fishing vessel, while owners making use of the 112m x 21m x 6.5m dock have ranged from UK, French and Norwegian companies to American and Indian.

A Caledonian MacBrayne ferry, Isle of Mull – the second of the year – is currently docked for around 15 days' work before returning to the west coast.

Dales has also docked six vessels at Leith, on the Firth of Forth, carrying out over 70 days of emergency repairs, and also made use of a facility at Fraserburgh, on the north-east coast. The peak of activity saw all three dry docks in use by Dales simultaneously.

The company is also having another busy year undertaking ship repair and maintenance alongside at various ports, while its range of fabrication services to various industries has also been successful in attracting a high level of orders.

Director and General Manager, Michael Milne, comments: "All round, it’s been another excellent year across our operations and the outlook is very positive for 2010, given dockings already booked and plans to tender for larger projects."

There are 22 vessels, including nine vessels from one owner, already lined up for Aberdeen - accounting for more than half the facility's capacity in 2010. There are also four vessels booked so far for Fraserburgh. Repeat business is a feature of the forward bookings.

Part of the Dales Group, based in Peterhead, Dales Marine was established there in 1987, moving in 1991 to Aberdeen where it has leased the two acre harbour site and dry dock since 2004.