What is your first thought when someone mentions Montrose?
Whatever it is, I’d guess ‘oil capital’ isn’t the first thing that springs to mind.
But in five or 10 years’ time that is exactly what this relatively sleepy Angus town could be, thanks to the work of Montrose Port Authority.
MPA has been on a mission over the past few years to breathe new commercial life into the area.
In 2012, Transport Minister Keith Brown arrived in town to witness the opening of two new revamped and upgraded deep-water berths at the quayside.
They new quays cost £8.5 million, but it was money well spent as it gave Montrose a real shot at the offshore services market which continues to make Aberdeen one of the richest cities in Europe.
There was never going to be a rush it takes time to develop contacts with the clout to turn heads in the world’s largest energy firms and in those of their principle contractors but work volumes have steadily increased and Montrose has slowly emerged on the oil and gas radar.
And there has been no laurel-sitting as the momentum gathers.
Last week saw the first major vessel, the impressive Maersk Lifter, come alongside at yet another newly upgraded part of the port.
Berths six and seven, representing a 260-metre long sweep of the quayside, have had £6m lavished on them and are now capable of handling much larger cargo and oil and gas ships.
MPA chief executive John Paterson said the addition of the new quays would provide more flexibility for vessels moving in and out of the port.
And now with his new toys in place, John is set to take the fight to Aberdeen and the other major North Sea ports to drive new much-needed business into the town.
The sales pitch is simple:
Aberdeen harbour is overcrowded, Montrose is not and is only a stone’s throw away.
Tying up in Aberdeen is expensive, Montrose less so.
It is a ‘build it and they will come’ strategy, but one with the potential to reap huge economic rewards for Montrose even if it simply rides on the coat-tails of its more celebrated northern neighbour.
I once bumped into John, a most affable and avuncular man, in Aberdeen at one of the biggest global expos for the oil and gas sectors.
The first wave of quayside investment was just being signed off, and it was obvious that Montrose was a tough, although not impossible, sell at that time.
With the new upgraded quays now in place at MPA and word of mouth spreading within the industry about the facilities available, I suspect John and his team are now finding those crucial conversations much easier to have with oil execs, cargo handlers and prospective renewables customers.
It will take time, but the profile of Montrose is on the up.
A full-scale reinvention as a new ‘oil capital’ may be a bridge too far, but there is definitely a brighter future ahead for Montrose.