Shipping and port services company Scotline Ltd is following a “record” 2004 with further investment to consolidate its sea-freight business.
Fresh from spending more than £5m on new ships and equipment in 2004, Romford-based Scotline is planning to invest about £4m on another vessel, a warehouse at Rochester and additional equipment during 2005.
The company, which carries a variety of forest products from Sweden and the Baltics, grew its fleet last year with the purchase of the Scot Explorer and Scot Carrier for about £2.5m each.
The addition of the box type sister vessels, which have a capacity of 4,000m3 of sawn timber, brings Scotline’s fleet up to 10 ships.
Managing director Peter Millatt said Scotline had found it difficult to find suitable time-charter ships because of the buoyant freight market.
He said: “With the shortage of suitable modern timber carriers available, Scotline feels the only option is to purchase in order that we can maintain the service and reliability that our customers demand.”
Mr Millatt said the onset of new regulations, such as the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code, was also resulting in the sector’s long-term players investing large amounts for the future.
Scotline rounded off its 2004 investment with the purchase of a £700,000 Multidocker hydraulic crane at Inverness. The crane, the first Multidocker to be installed in the UK, has improved loading/unloading times and efficiency.
The company bought the crane after finding that one at Varberg, Sweden increased the productivity of loading packaged sawn timber by 100%.
