I have had the pleasure of knowing Alec for three years. We have shared information and worked together for two years, at times closely during the selection of suitable new tugs for Scapa Flow.
His relationship with the towage community, both tug Owners and builders is excellent, based upon his experience in the business and depth of knowledge of tugs.
Similarly his friendships with tug operators is helpful towards his comprehensive knowledge and catalogue of second hand units.
Alec is an excellent person to work with and keeps himself right up to date with the latest industry standards and technical developments. He is well organised, handles projects methodically and with care and has a warm and lively personality. A great person to have on your side’.
John Taylor, Orkney Islands Council Marine Services
Present and Future Client base of ACL
As a Canadian Diving Contractor, in 2017 we identified the Eurocarrier / Multicat as the most suited vessel type to meet our operational requirements. We contacted ACL Shipbrokers Ltd. to assist us in our search.
Alec was instrumental in exploring his vast array of resources for both new build and preowned vessels. In a short period of time he located and facilitated the acquisition of a perfectly suited preowned BV classed 2209 Eurocarrier, built by Neptune that was not officially on the market.
The transaction involved several phases that Alec managed and personally attended including but not limited to; pre-sale DNV class vessel audit / gap analysis for Canadian compliance onsite in Conakry Guinea, pre-sale expedited 5 year BV special survey dry-docking in Algeciras Spain, procurement and oversight of loading of heavy lift trans-ocean carrier ship in Gibraltar UK / (Spain), and final purchase closing meeting by video link to Canada.
Due to ACL’s strict attention to detail and disciplined communicative responsiveness through several time zones, the international purchase and delivery of the first Eurocarrier to North America was a complete success and a historical milestone reached for Dominion Diving. We look forward to the next collaborative acquisition with Alec Laing and ACL Shipbrokers Ltd.
Robin Lohnes, Dominion Diving
Sale of 22 metre delta pusher tug (multicat type) Africa to UK
We were proactively contacted by ACL Shipbrokers in early 2018 regarding a multicat work boat which we were looking to sell. She was laid up in an inaccessible location in East Africa which made it a challenge for us to find Buyers and move her on.
Alec Laing proposed a number of Buyers to us and kept us well informed of their interests. Once the eventual Buyer was found Alec worked very closely with us to arrange independent surveys in the country, offer transport solutions and generally closely coordinate the process of selling the workboat and getting her back to Europe. This helped greatly in facilitating the sale. Alec also met with us and the Buyers after the vessel was discharged in Rotterdam before she made the final leg of her journey to her new home.
ACL Shipbrokers have been straightforward to deal with, dynamic and highly motivated to assist us with this sale. We wouldn’t hesitate to work with them again in the future and recommend them to other colleagues in the industry.
Stuart McNiven, Dalby Offshore Services
