A HAMPSHIRE boatbuilder has dropped anchor in the Waterside after a short move west along the coast.

Meercat Workboats has relocated from Portchester to new, purpose built premises in Hythe Marine Park.

To coincide with the move the company’s management team has been restructured, two new vessels have been delivered and one new order confirmed.

The new site is 1,600 sqm, has two 20-tonne gantry cranes, a machine shop, an electrical workshop, a hydraulic workshop, aluminium welding bays, steel fabrication bays, dedicated stores, offices and customer parking. A sum of circa £500,000 has been invested in the move.

Late in September Meercat Workboats delivered two new build vessels: MC26 into the aquaculture sector and MC28 to a marine civils contractor.

The company has relocated in time to conclude two further builds: MC27 (a 14m workboat) and MC29 (a 15m workboat).

The team are also pursuing prospects for house boats, pontoons and barges locally and further afield.

The newly restructured management team includes Jason Coltman, who has recently returned to the business fresh from a summer sabbatical. 

As part of the re-structuring, three new roles have been created. Ric Haselhurst has taken on the role of production manager, Jim Mair the role of technical manager and Tim Baily the role of project manager. 

All four are key stakeholders in the business which employs 16 people in total.

Nicholas Warren, the CEO of Burgess Marine, the parent company of Meercat Workboats, said: “The move is exactly what the business needs. 
“Meercat is a growing business and we need a dedicated site and a dedicated management team. 

“I’ve complete confidence in Jason, Ric, Jim and Tim as they lead the business going forward; they really are masters of their own destiny. 

“They’re key stakeholders in the newly restructured company and I firmly believe that they can grow the company effectively and independently.” 

Jason Coltman said he was glad to back in the boatbuilding business.
“We’re newly independent and entirely committed to building both the business and our own standalone reputation. 

“We’ve proven this by succeeding in a hard-fought pan-European public tender for ABP’s new Southampton based workboat.” 

This vessel, hull number MC30, will be a 15m boat to be delivered to the port early in the New Year.

He added that in addition to traditional Meercats the firm had contracts to build pontoons, tugs, barges, house boats, RIBs and landing craft on the near horizon and were developing a hybrid propulsion vessel for the aquaculture sector.