Support for Unst boat builder

A BOAT building company in Shetland is developing a new fast support craft for use in the oil and gas industry.

Unst Inshore Services Ltd, based in Baltasound on the island of Unst, has just secured a £47,000 grant from Highlands and Islands Enterprise towards the experimental development of the boat.

The project will create two new highly skilled jobs on Britain’s most northerly island.

Based on the company’s successful Fluggaboat type, which has the advantages of a conventional rigid-inflatable boat (RIB) but is much stronger as it is constructed from aluminum and a high density plastic, the new boat has to be even better.

The prototype model will be produced later this year and will be subject to rigorous testing in line with strict criteria, including high specification durability, safety and low carbon emission standards.

The company’s Brydon Barclay said: “We were approached by a company when exhibiting at the Seawork Commercial Marine Exhibition 2013 in Southampton.

“We had done some work for them before, which had obviously been well received.

“The offer was ‘if we could build them, they would buy them’. So now we need to get it done. It is a new line for us, but one that sits very neatly into the company’s capabilities.”

HIE development manager David Priest said: “The company have spent many years developing their product range and capabilities and have identified a key opportunity area.

“They should now have the support they need to develop a quality, high specification product which will further enhance their reputation within the oil and gas offshore services industry.”