ABERDEEN-based Fletcher Shipping has received £8 million from the state-backed Scottish Loan Fund and Royal Bank of Scotland to fund the acquisition of a third vessel for use in the offshore oil and gas industry.

Maven Capital Partners, which manages the Scottish Investment Bank fund, said it has provided Fletcher Shipping with £4m upfront with an option to drawdown a further £1m to part-fund the purchase. Part-nationalised RBS gave the rest.

Fletcher Shipping was established in 2007 and owns and operates platform support vessels in the North Sea. These transport everything from food to drilling equipment to oil rigs.

Its newly acquired vessel, the FS Taurus, will go into service immediately.

The Scottish Loan Fund is financed by public bodies, including the Scottish Government, as well as several banks and pension funds.

Keith Fletcher, managing director at Fletcher Shipping, said: "The joint investment between Maven and RBS has allowed us to pursue our growth strategy and realise the potential that remains in the North Sea for vessels of this size and capability."