Viking Offshore, the Aberdeen-based rescue boat business is up for sale with a price tag of around £150m according to a report in the Daily Telegraph.

The Telegraph did not reveal its sources, but claimed that Viking's owner, Scandinavian investment group Kistefos, is thought to have hired Pareto to sell the business. The paper also tipped private equity firm Alchemy Partners as a potential buyer.

A subsidiary of Viking Supply Ships, Viking Offshore's main activity is the supply rescue and recovery vessels to the oil industry's fixed and mobile installations in the UK sector. It operates 31 vessels, ranging from cargo-carrying field support and towing vessels to conventional emergency response and rescue crafts. 

The company employs over 650 sea staff and turns over in excess of £40m per year.