Scottish expansion cash

The deal was completed by Craig Stewart, Director of Corporate Banking at Clydesdale Bank’s Business and Private Banking Centre in Glasgow, and forms part of a £35million package which MCS now has in place with the Bank.

MCS, established in 1977, provides support vessels including Damen Multicats and Shoalbusters to the offshore renewable, marine construction and dredging industries across the globe.

The company operates throughout Europe, the Middle East, India and Africa delivering services on a diverse range of projects including oil and gas installation, port and harbour construction, wreck removal and diving support.

Three of the new vessels are 26-metre Fast Crew Transfer catamarans, built by Dutch shipyard Damen. Each of the ships, MCS Boreas, Blue Norther and Levanto, has a crew of five and are already in service on the Dantysk and GT1 windfarms in the North Sea.

The fourth acquisition is MCS Rosie, a 2609 Shoalbuster tug, which is currently operating in Qatar. The new vessel’s crew of six brings MCS current workforce to a total of 200, including 15 at its head office in Fairlie.

MCS relocated to its Fairlie offices in May 2014 from its previous base of Largs Yacht Haven. Its new custom built office is located only a few hundred yards from where MCS first opened in the 1970s.

Dirk Kuyt, founder of MCS, said: “This year has been a big year for us as we moved in to our new head office and have continued the significant expansion of our fleet. We are increasingly known as leading operators in the provision of offshore renewable support and expect demand for our vessels to continue growing.

“Clydesdale Bank has been great to work with and its support has enabled us to add 10 vessels to our fleet in the last three years. It is the Bank’s understanding of our business and ability to turn around deals quickly which has allowed us to realise our growth ambitions.”

Matt Smith, Head of Transport at Clydesdale Bank, said: “Dirk and his team have a clear strategy for growing their business which is underpinned by their ability to deliver quality support services to the offshore sector around the globe. We are committed to helping businesses like MCS achieve their goals.”

By Jake Frith