Hello and welcome to our daily digest of business, financial and economic news from around Scotland.
1. Scottish marine and coastal projects have received £3.8 million in funding in the past three years and are set to receive a further £4 million from donations.
Using sonar to find abandoned fishing gear and discovering a herring spawning ground are among the 54 projects helped by the Scottish Marine Environmental Enhancement Fund (Smeef).
The donations so far have come from the offshore wind industry and Smeef has also distributed funds from the Scottish government’s Nature Restoration Fund. Private companies have pledged £4 million to support further projects.
Sarah Brown, Smeef project manager, said: “It’s wonderful to have so many private companies donate to help our rich marine environment recover.
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“All the amazing projects we’ve funded are using cutting-edge technology to discover the best ways to ensure our marine habitats and the species they support are healthy, resilient and productive for future generations.”
Other projects are monitoring and improving habitat for seagrass, seals, seabirds, native oysters, flapper skates, horse mussels and marine mammals. The scheme is hosted by NatureScot, the Marine Directorate and Crown Estate Scotland.
2. A family law expert has joined leading Scottish law firm Blackadders as a partner. Shona Smith will join the firm’s team in Edinburgh this month. She led the family law team at Balfour+Manson for 12 years during 27 years of employment there.
“There is real ambition in Blackadders and I am looking forward to playing my part in growing the team,” said Smith, whose work has earned her recognition with the Chambers & Partners Legal Directory and the Legal 500.
Craig Samson, head of the family law team at Blackadders, said the firm’s young lawyers would learn from Smith. “It’s also good news for our clients who will have access to an incredible level of expertise and knowledge in what can be a particularly challenging area of private client law,” he added.
3. A global maritime services company has expanded in Aberdeen as it eyes growth. Interocean Marine Services has opened a warehouse and workshop in Aberdeen.
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The company, which is now headquartered in Glasgow since moving from Aberdeen, also has offices in Middlesbrough, Canada and Dubai, and aims to increase its global team by a fifth over the next year.
It opened a head office in Glasgow in late 2023 and has appointed Alex Clark as chief commercial officer and Simon Laing as chief financial officer.
Clark said it was important for the new Aberdeen facility to meet the highest quality standards, with a focus on sustainability and energy efficiency.
Interocean works with several oil and gas companies, wind farm operators and other renewable energy firms in the UK, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
It has adopted and demonstrated drone technology to make it easier to survey oil rigs without needing staff to work at height or in confined spaces.
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The new Aberdeen facility is in the city’s south business park, and is being co-ordinated by property management firm FG Burnett.
4. Disruption of ScotRail services continues as workers consider further industrial action over pay. The company has warned that more than 80 services will not run because of driver shortages.
Kevin Lindsay, the Scotland organiser for Aslef, said the government should have seen the issues coming “a mile down the tracks”, according to the BBC.
He said: “The Scottish government is the sole shareholder of ScotRail yet has completely failed to address the driver shortage.”
Aslef informed ScotRail on Friday that it will consider a ballot for industrial action as part of the pay dispute. In the meantime services are affected as some train drivers refuse to work extra Sunday shifts or overtime.