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One of Scotland's oldest shipyards has gone into administration, with the loss of dozens of jobs.

A total of 68 out the 74 staff at Buckie Shipyard on the Moray Firth have been made redundant with immediate effect.

Recent clients include the RNLI and the Ministry of Defence.

The joint administrators have said they will look to market the assets of the business for sale and are looking for interested parties.

The shipyard, which dates back to 1903, had also diversified into the offshore wind industry.

Iain Fraser, of RSM Tenon, said: "The directors and staff have worked long and hard to secure a future for the company however the financial pressures meant that administration was the only option.

"It is therefore with great regret that 68 jobs have been made redundant with immediate effect, with six being retained in the short term to assist with the winding down process.

"We will liaise with relevant organisations to provide staff with as much support as possible with the redundancy process."

'Great potential'

John Cowe, chairman of Moray Council's economic development and infrastructure committee, said: "My heart goes out to the staff at the shipyard. This is devastating news for them.

"I hope that the administrators can resolve the situation promptly, meantime the council will do all that it can to support the staff affected."

He added: "The harbour has great potential in the renewables industry and is ideally placed to provide a wide range of support services to other offshore sectors.

"Moray Council has been and will continue to work with interested parties and partners to help Buckie to realise its full potential."