Plans have been announced to bring marine manufacturing back to the River Clyde in a move estimated to create nearly 1000 jobs.
Malin Group will create a hub at Old Kilpatrick, in West Dunbartonshire, on a derelict 47-acre site which was formerly the Carless oil storage facility.
The site is land zoned for industrial use and will have direct access to a deep-water channel via an 80-metre long deep-water quayside berth with heavy lift facilities.
Malin Group managing director John MacSween believes the hub will be a “magnet” for marine engineering and technology organisations and “a centre of excellence” for the sector.
He said: “The heritage of the Clyde is something of which we should all be rightly proud.
“We have been working in the shipping industry for over 100 years and have a passion for the river and its history, but there is a need to be looking to the future to ensure the long-term success of the Clyde as a maritime centre of excellence.”
The group commissioned the land development and infrastructure consultants Peter Brett Associates (PBA) to carry out an economic impact assessment of the development.
PBA say they envisage an economic impact that will create 986 jobs, if the plan is fully realised, and add £125.4 million annually to West Dunbartonshire’s economy.
The construction phase of the project will also see over 600 additional short-term jobs created.
The development, which is in an advanced stage of planning with West Dunbartonshire Council, will see a £10 million remediation and regeneration of the contaminated land that is a legacy of the past oil refinery.
Bodies involved in a consultation on the project included Scottish Canals, West Dunbartonshire Council, Crown Estates, Marine Scotland, Scottish Natural Heritage and SEPA.
Mark Newlands, the regional head of Partnerships at Scottish Enterprise, said: “We welcome Malin’s ambitious plans to revitalise this site and create much needed jobs in the West Dunbartonshire area.
“We look forward to working alongside the company to support its growth aspirations.”
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