Marine equipment company Gael Force yesterday struck a deal worth almost £1million to supply a new feed barge to a Scottish salmon farmer.
Gael Force said the new contract with Scottish Sea Farms (SSF) would help safeguard 30 jobs at its barge building yard in Inverness.
SSF said it plans to use the SeaMate 150T barge at its new Westerbister site on Orkney starting in September.
The outlay by Stirling-based SSF is part of a wider investment programme aimed at increasing its production capacity on Orkney to 7,300 tonnes of salmon per year from 6,000 tonnes.
In addition to Westerbister, SSF has expanded its sites in Eday and at Toyness in Scapa Flow.
SSF managing director Jim Gallagher said: “This contract represents a further major investment by Scottish Sea Farms within the Scottish economy.
“Wherever possible, we are working with Scottish suppliers as we grow and develop our salmon farming business in Orkney to meet the ever growing demand for our product.”
SSF, which is owned by two Norwegian firms, employs more than 400 people around Scotland.
Stewart Graham, managing director of Gael Force, which employs 150 people across its operations, said the deal highlighted the importance of the aquaculture sector to the Highland economy.
The deal with SSF comes a year after Gael Force agreed a £2.5million deal to build three barges for the Edinburgh-headquartered Scottish Salmon Company.