Firm reveals its progress in revival of subsea trials

● ‘Really good’ first year for Caldive after resurrecting operation

A Highland firm has revealed details of its “long road” to resurrect a subsea trials and remotely operated vehicle (ROV) business at Fort William.

Caldive, based at Invergordon, said the “doors have been open” at the Fort William Underwater Trials Centre (UTC) for the past year, although some people still had “no idea” it was operating again after the high-profile collapse of the old Underwater Centre into administration in 2018.

Oil and Gas UK, Subsea7 TechnipFMC, Premier Oil and Highlands and Islands Enterprise all failed in their combined efforts to secure its long-term future.

Caldive, run by managing director Iain Beaton, bought many of the assets of the former not-forprofit business, including ROVs and seabed leases from the administrators.

Last February, the firm recruited John MacLellan, a former director of the Underwater Centre, to set up and run the new subsea trials business.

Mr MacLellan said yesterday it had been a “really good” opening year but also a “long road”.

He added: “I’ve found the support from industry to be phenomenal.

“The focus initially in the first year was to work on producing a facility that was as close to what we had with the Underwater Centre that could offer clients the existing facility, if not better, with a wider range of equipment.”

Fort William UTC and fellow Caldive subsidiaries Seafast ROV and Seafast

Maritime own work boats, observation-class and workclass ROVs, seabed leases and deep, mid and shallowwater moorings. The group recently took delivery of a new renewables industry service vessel, the Isle of Jura.

The Lochaber operation has so far carried out 14 projects, trialling subsea technologies on Loch Linnhe, and expects to be “well into profit” within a year.

Diver training has also been restored at the centre after JFD, part of the James

Fisher group, snapped up a saturation diving system and associated assets last August.

And Caldive has benefited from backing by local haulage firm Boyd Brothers, which allowed its facilities to be used.

ASSET: Caldive’s new renewables industry service vessel, the Isle of Jura, which it acquired through a subsidiary