Glasgow-based Malin Group (www.malingroup.com) has acquired the former Carless oil refinery — a large brown-field site on the north bank of the River Clyde — with the aim of bringing marine design and build projects back to Glasgow.

The 47-acre site was a Royal Navy oil storage facility that suffered extensive damage during the Second World War. Subsequent oil-refining operations ceased in 1992, and the site is now mostly vacant.

John MacSween, Malin Group managing director, said: “We have been working on the river — in the shipping industry — for over 100 years. The heritage of the Clyde is something we should be proud of, but there is also a need to look to the future to ensure the long-term success of the river as a maritime centre of excellence.

"There are already great examples of this in the form of what is being done at BAE Systems and Ferguson Marine in the ship-building sector; training and ship management are also well represented, and the Department of Naval Architecture at Strathclyde University is a world-class centre for research and learning in the marine sector.

"What we are hoping to achieve at our Carless site is to complement these activities and attract other clients, companies and interests.

“We are looking to create a Marine Technology Hub that brings together providers of research, skills development, design, manufacturing and practical marine operational and logistics experience in a location with complementary facilities — backed by direct access to the deep-water channel of the Clyde.

“We are delighted to have Scottish Enterprise as a partner in pushing this venture forward.”