The announcement this morning that the Scottish Government has brokered an agreement between  Canadian company JV Driver through its subsidiary DF Barnes and BiFab to support new opportunities at Methil, Burntisland and Arnish for fabrication and construction in the marine, renewables and energy sector has been welcomed by Angus MacNeil MP.

Commenting Mr MacNeil said:

“This is a good step forward with investment coming in from the Scottish Government through HIE and Scottish Enterprise. The Scottish Government will be encouraging and helping in the gaining of orders.

“It is good that all three sites are involved particularly with Arnish having the capabilities of rolling which are unique in Scotland and the UK.

“They already have a great track record of producing, fabricating and delivering and we wish them every success going forward.”

Speaking at Methil the First Minister said:

“We are delivering on the commitment I made last year that we would stand by BiFab and work to secure a long term future for the company.

“We have been in negotiations with DF Barnes for a number of months and today is a significant step forward in our efforts to restore BiFab to its place at the centre of Scotland’s marine energy industry.

The First Minister also paid tribute to the efforts of the trade unions and employees at BiFab saying

“This announcement is also a tribute to the efforts of the trade unions and employees at BiFab whose dignified actions throughout this difficult time have played a huge part in enabling us to bring in new investors and creating new employment opportunities in Fife, the Western Isles and for the Scottish economy as a whole.”