Ship repair firm launches first vessel for 33 years

Réalt na Farraige is the result of more than eight months’ work by the Dales team of around 30 technicians and engineers.

The diesel-powered 18.2m workboat will be used on fish farms in the Irish Sea, with kitchen and galley for crew. In 2021, Dales won a contract to build a multi-cat style vessel platform for the fishing industry.

The last boat to be launched from the dock was in the 1980s, when ship builders Hall, Russell & Co owned it. The firm, which made iron and steel ships ranging from cargo vessels to warships including mine sweepers during the First and Second World Wars, closed down in 1992.

“The launch of the Réalt na Farraige is a monumental occasion and represents a significant project for Dales Marine. It has delivered several firsts for the business, including the first vessel they’ve built and the first vessel to be built in Aberdeen for a long time,” said project manager Gary Norrie.

“”Today marks a memorable milestone in Scottish shipbuilding history; the Réalt na Farraige is the first built vessel here at Dales Marine Services and the first vessel launched here at this shipyard in over 33 years. Exciting times lie ahead at Dales Marine Shipyard in the shipbuilding industry.”

Dales Marine is a subsidiary of the Aberdeen-registered Dales Engineering, which was founded in 1987 and operates five dry docks across Scotland. In 2021, Dutch investment firm H2 Equity bought Dales Engineering, saying demand would be driven by regulatory requirements to maintain seaworthy certification with all vessels having to dry dock every two and a half years on average, or once a year if it is a passenger-carrying vessel.

Dales also carries out fabrication services and ship conversions and entered the decommissioning market to become the only accredited provider of ship decommissioning in Scotland, the company said.

The Irish name of the new workboat, Réalt na Farraige, means ‘reality of the sea’.