The UK’s largest heavy lift crane hire company, Weldex (International) Offshore, is in discussions to open a new base in the north.
The company currently has its maintenance, repair and storage depot in England, but it wants to open a similar site at Nigg Energy Park on the Cromarty Firth.
Weldex chief executive Doug McGilvray said yesterday: “This is a major recruitment opportunity locally as we plan to significantly expand our current 135-strong workforce over the next few years.”
Negotiations by the north firm with park owner Global Energy Group were said to be well advanced.
Weldex said the move was a key strategic step, allowing it to offer a complete lifting service for the oil, gas, subsea and renewable energy sectors.
It plans to base a fleet of cranes at Nigg, as well as an operating team and rigging workers.
Weldex has invested more than £30million in the past two years in upgrading its fleet of cranes and is waiting for delivery of a further 16 units at an investment of £22million.
Mr McGilvray said a move to the park would return Weldex to its roots.
Formed 33 years ago, the firm supplied cranes, lifting equipment and personnel to the Highlands and islands fabrication yards at Arnish Point, Kishorn, Nigg and Ardersier.
As workload ebbed in Scotland and grew elsewhere, the company moved its maintenance, repair and storage depot to Alfreton, Derbyshire, to avoid excessive transport costs to clients.
Global said earlier this month that work had now begun to bring the glory days back to the former Nigg oil yard.
Executive chairman Roy MacGregor wants to make it a home for all types of renewable-energy and oil businesses.
The 238-acre complex was renamed Nigg Energy Park and nearly £10million will be spent refitting it between now and 2016.
Highland Council and Highlands and Islands Enterprise are both supporting this work, to a value of more than £2million.
In its heyday, the yard on the Cromarty Firth employed 5,000. More than 2,000 jobs are expected to be created between now and 2015.
Global already has 170 people on the site, who work for its engineering and fabrication subsidiary, Isleburn. Mr MacGregor’s firm will own some of the new ventures connected to the oil, gas and green-energy sectors, but others will be run by tenants.