Article taken from Newspaper in 1999.

"More than 3,000 workers at two fabrication yards today learned they would lose their jobs by next spring.
The Barmac yards at Nigg and Ardersier, near Inverness, will be mothballed by next spring, the company said.

Economic factors beyond its control were to blame, especially low oil prices and the strong pound, the company added.

The yards make offshore platforms and employ around 3,000 at any one time, although the number fluctuates because employees are on short-term contracts.
The yards are about 20-years-old and have been owned for about five years by Barmac, a joint venture between two American multinationals - Halliburton and McDermott."