EDINBURGH: Scotland’s richest man and biggest port company are in make-or-break secret talks to bring ocean-going shipbuilding back to the Clyde.
Billionaire Jim McColl this summer revealed dramatic ambitions “to make big boats” once again at the historic Inchgreen dock in Greenock.
He has since been in highly sensitive negotiations with the docks owner, Peel Ports, over buying or even leasing the site to resume manufacturing on the Clyde.
The two sides – sources insist – remain far from clinching a final deal, with industry insiders citing doubts that Peel will sell, rather than lease, enabling Mr McColl to make the serious capital investments needed.
But in a joint statement they both insisted they remain positive.
Mr McColl and Tom Allison, the chairman of Peel Ports and the former chief executive of Clydeport, said: “We have had a number of positive and constructive face-to-face meetings at the most senior level in recent months to discuss various areas of mutual interest.
“We agreed at the outset that the matters discussed would, of course, remain confidential for commercial reasons and any ill-founded speculation is unhelpful.
“We both believe there exists considerable potential for partnership between our organisations and are confident that by working together on a number of fronts we can deliver considerable benefits for the local and Scottish economies.
“We hope to be in a position to make further announcements in due course.”
Engineering specialist Mr McColl has already saved the nearby Ferguson Marine yard and is looking to expand. He believes he could build even bigger ships than the ferries he currently makes at the site.
Some nervous industrial sources believe he has a hard task to buy Inchgreen, which was on the market for manufacturing.
That is because Peel Ports is part of the same group as Cammell Laird, the Birkenhead-based ship-repairer, which is understood to have a substantial interest in the site.
Shipping activity at Port Qasim on February 11
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