Southampton ship repairer and marine engineering services provider SMS is aiming to expand into international markets after signing a deal at this week's Seawork commercial marine exhibition and conference.

The firm has partnered with WorkBoatSales.com to market its proven range of Bulldog workboats globally .

SMS, is a specialist in ship repair, marine engineering and major fabrication projects in the commercial marine, defence and superyachts sectors.

From its headquarters in Ocean Quay, Southampton, it also builds, in a dedicated ‘newbuild’ facility, its Bulldog range of multi-functional workboats.

Chris Norman, the managing director of SMS, said: “With a dedicated, proven product range, from 14m to 20m, Bulldog workboats are developing a ‘first of class’ pedigree in the UK and further afield. “SMS has built small inter-island ferries, fishing and aquaculture vessels and multi-functional workboats for ports and harbours around the UK.

“This product range is superb and fully customisable. We’ve an established customer base with plenty of good reference customers. We now need to increase production and expand internationally.” Current vessel owners include Svitzer, ML UK, and Leco Marine.

Chris added: “In recent months our business has gone from strength-to-strength.

“We’ve acquired a national ship repair network, we’ve completed two major commercial refits - one in Cherbourg and one in Avonmouth, we’re just about to relaunch the classic motor yacht Alicia after a three year refit in Southampton and our sister company the Wight Shipyard has launched Red Jet 7.

Business is brisk, but it’s absolutely critical we have an eye on the future and increase the distribution of our British built Bulldog range.”

Martin Antrobus, the managing director and founder of WorkBoatSales.com, said: “It is great to be working with Chris, John Buck and the team at SMS.

“The quality of their product is superb and their ‘can do attitude’ mirrors our own ethos.

“Since setting the business up in 2010 we’re worked hard as team to market great workboats, internationally, and we very much look forward to doing the same with SMS and the Bulldog range”.

He added: “SMS’s scale and pedigree, as well as their firm financial foundations really does uniquely position them within the market place.

“They’ve a great product set and the fact that they can often offer bespoke financial solutions internally often sets them apart from the competition”.

WorkBoatSales.com are globally specialists in the sales and charter of workboats.