106 jobs lost as marine firm goes into administration

MARINE company Burgess Marine Ltd has gone into administration with jobs being lost in Portsmouth and Portchester.

The parts of the company in Lowestoft, Avonmouth & Poole were sold to Southampton Marine Services Limited, saving 45 jobs.

But Burgess Marine Ltd has closed in Portsmouth and Portchester, with the loss of 34 jobs, and other locations on the south coast, with a further 72 employees being made redundant.

A skeleton staff of three has been retained to wind-down of the business.

One person told The News: ‘Bad news for employees at Burgess coming up to Christmas.

‘Everyone laid off at Portchester and Dover. Lonely timing coming up to Christmas.’

BDO LLP business restructuring partners Danny Dartnaill and Colin Haig have been appointed joint administrators.

Mr Dartnaill said: ‘Regrettably, difficult trading conditions and a shortfall in the company’s working capital position, contributed to by a failure to secure the final payment due in regard to a recent major refit project (in Portchester) significantly affected the business and its ongoing viability.

‘We are pleased to have been able to secure a partial sale of the business as a going concern, preserving 45 jobs.

‘Unfortunately however, it has been necessary for the remaining aspects of the company to cease trading with immediate effect, resulting in job losses.

‘The administration does not affect the other companies within the wider group, which continue to trade as normal.

‘Going forward, the joint administrators will be seeking to maximise recoveries for the benefit of all creditors and will continue to liaise with customers regarding any outstanding contracts.’

Burgess Marine is based in Dover, Kent, and is a marine engineering services provider operating in the commercial marine, defence and superyacht sectors, and traded from eight sites across the south of England.