A small Maryport boat repair firm is hoping to almost double its workforce in the coming months.

MPM Marine Ltd has secured a £100,000 a year contract to maintain the large Fred Olsen fleet of boats servicing the Barrow offshore wind farm.

It has also earned a £250,000 deal with Dong Energy Ltd, for a new kind of crane arm or lifting davit which has been designed within the company.

Director Michael John Hawkins said the davit has been specifically designed to offer the flexibility needed to service wind turbines.

Mr Hawkins said he had other irons in the fire and was working on contracts that would enable the company to increase its workforce from 20 to around 35.

To enable the company to successfully maintain the large Fred Olsen vessels and to be able to paint them, MPM has applied to build a temporary 15ft structure extending from the back of their building.

The scaffolding-like erection will be

covered with polythene and will allow the company to assess its suitability for bringing the boats under cover.

However, town councillor Peter Kendall expressed concern about the structure. He said: “I have heard that this will become a permanent structure. I am not against development but we need to keep an eye on that.”

Mr Hawkins said the structure, still to be built, only has permission until the end of June. “If we wanted to do anything else we would have to apply for planning permission again.

“I don’t think it is going to really impact on anyone else, though. It is coming off the back of our building. You see things like this behind the piers in places like Blackpool.”

Mr Hawkins added: “Maryport used to be a working port. We are trying to make sure it remains at least a small working port.

“People seem interested in what we do. I don’t think there will be a lot of complaints.”

He said the structure was needed to work on boats which carry 12 to 18 personnel out to the off-shore wind turbines.

The wind farm boats are 70-tonne vessels, 20m long and 7.5m wide.

“We need this new structure to enable us to bring large vessels under cover for maintenance,” he added. “For example, we have painted the hull of a Fred Olsen boat but can’t do the top half because of the weather.”

For a small company, MPM has gained a national reputation. It refurbished Blackpool Tower and has been responsible for the repair and restoration of several UK piers.