Business news in brief 25/05/2012

Dalhousie hotel sold by administrators

Dalhousie Castle, the only Scottish hotel in the failed von Essen Hotels portfolio, has been sold by administrators. The buyers are a former Church of England clergyman turned care home developer Robert Parker and his wife Gina, who also own the Doxford Hall Hotel & Spa in Northumberland.

Ken Sims, director at Christie & Co, said he was “delighted” to have sold to the Parkers “particularly given the investment that they have planned for this property”.

The von Essen chain, founded by business man Andrew Davis, went into administration last year with debts of £300 million.

Hart hails Cameroon gas supply contract

KEVIN Hart, the chief executive of oil and gas explorer Bowleven, yesterday hailed a “route towards the monetisation of Bowleven resources” after it signed an memorandum of understanding to supply natural gas to a chemical fertiliser plant in Cameroon.

The agreement was signed by representatives from the Société Nationale des Hydrocarbures, the national hydrocarbons company of Cameroon, and German engineering firm Ferrostaal, as well as Chief Tabetando, the chair of Bowleven’s Cameroon subsidiary EurOil.

Jobs boost at bottling plant

FINANCE secretary John Swinney yesterday reopened a bottling plant in Coatbridge owned by Angus Dundee Distillers, which has created 33 jobs.

The facility was brought back into use following investment by the London-based company – which also owns the Glencadam and Tomintoul distilleries – and a £460,000 regional selective assistance grant from Scottish Enterprise. As well as producing brands including Big Ben, Smokey Joe and Scottish Royal, Angus Dundee also bottles whisky in bulk and “own label” Scotch for other companies.

£1m west African deal for EnerMech

ENGINEERING firm EnerMech yesterday won its first contract in two west African states under a £1 million deal with French subsea outfit Technip.

The Aberdeen-based company will replace pipes in several gas fields in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Gabon.

David Drysdale, general manager of EnerMech’s pipeline division, said: “It will be the first time we have worked in Congo and Gabon but we have a strong track record working with Technip on other west African projects, such as GirRi in Angola.”