The first export of recycled metal processed at the recently reopened Rova Head facility at Lerwick is due to be made today (Friday 20 April).

The John Lawrie Group took over the running of the Rova Head centre last December and, following a significant investment in new equipment and the site’s infrastructure, reopened it in February this year.  The shipment marks the latest step in the evolution of the site which the company aims to develop into a full-service scrap metal processing and decommissioning support facility.

Two thousand tonnes of processed scrap metal is being loaded onto the cargo vessel Meike-B in Lerwick and exported to a Spanish steel mill where it will be recycled and remanufactured into new steel products.

Dave Weston, John Lawrie Group operations director, said: “This first shipment of processed scrap metal is a major step for the site and the team there.  To export 2,000 tonnes just two months after we opened is testament to everyone’s hard work.  It illustrates that there is clear demand on the islands for an efficient and reliable metal processing facility.

The Rova Head facility employs 5 staff and is ideally placed to support the oil and gas decommissioning sector in the area, as well as local metal recycling requirements, including end-of-life vehicles which has been an issue on the island for some time.  It is one of John Lawrie Group’s four metal processing facilities in Scotland, the others being located in Aberdeen, Montrose and Evanton near Inverness.