SCOTLAND'S richest man and biggest port company are in make-or-break secret talks to bring ocean-going shipbuilding back to the Clyde.

Our sister newspaper The Herald reports that billionaire Jim McColl this summer revealed dramatic ambitions "to make big boats" once again at the historic Inchgreen dock in Greenock.

He has since been in highly sensitive negotiations with the docks owner, Peel Ports, over buying or even leasing the site to resume manufacturing on the Clyde.

The two sides - sources insist - remain far from clinching a final deal, with industry insiders citing doubts that Peel will sell, rather than lease, enabling Mr McColl to make the serious capital investments needed.

But in a joint statement they both insisted they remain positive.

Mr McColl and Tom Allison, the chairman of Peel Ports and the former chief executive of Clydeport, said: "We have had a number of positive and constructive face-to-face meetings at the most senior level in recent months to discuss various areas of mutual interest.

"We agreed at the outset that the matters discussed would, of course, remain confidential for commercial reasons and any ill-founded speculation is unhelpful.

"We both believe there exists considerable potential for partnership between our organisations and are confident that by working together on a number of fronts we can deliver considerable benefits for the local and Scottish economies.

"We hope to be in a position to make further announcements in due course."

Engineering specialist Mr McColl has already saved the nearby Ferguson Marine yard and is looking to expand. He believes he could build even bigger ships than the ferries he currently makes at the site.

Some nervous industrial sources believe he has a hard task to buy Inchgreen, which was on the market for manufacturing.

That is because Peel Ports is part of the same group as Cammell Laird, the Birkenhead-based ship-repairer, which is understood to have a substantial interest in the site.

A source said: "Obviously, it is going to be difficult to convince them to sell to a competitor."

Mr McColl's interest in the 1,000-ft Inchgreen – which has just been put on the market for a lease by its owners Peel Ports – comes after BAE Systems signalled that it would keep its yard at Govan in Glasgow.

Mr McColl, who splits his time between Monaco and Glasgow, confirmed he had personally scouted the 31-acre Greenock site.

Inchgreen, designed to repair ships as big as the first Queen Mary, was opened in the early 1960s at the cost of more than £4 million, half of the money provided by the UK Government.

In today's money, its pricetag would be nearly £90m. Building it anew would cost hundreds of millions.

Senior community and political leaders in Inverclyde have taken a keen interest in the site. Local MSP Duncan McNeil and his Westminster counterpart Ronnie Cowan have met key stakeholders in the process and Mr McColl.

Mr McNeil said: "No stone should remain unturned. We have scheduled meetings with the people at the top of Peel Holdings but we are delighted that Mr McColl recognised the strategic asset of Inchgreen.

"The community has no ownership here but we do have a real interest in the jobs and economic impact of the dream of bringing back ship manufacturing to this site."

Inverclyde Council Leader, Councillor Stephen McCabe, said: “These are exciting times in Inverclyde with the expansion plans at Ferguson Marine, investment on the way as part of the City Deal, on top of the existing regeneration projects we have.

"While we would be keen to see an arrangement which secures the future of Inchgreen Dry Dock, we recognise that these are commercial decisions which must work for all parties.

"As a council and with our regeneration company, Riverside Inverclyde, we will continue to work with businesses, including Fergusons and Peel Ports, developing regeneration and job creation opportunities in our area."