Almost one hundred jobs will be lost in Aberdeen after oil and gas shipping firm the Harkand Group called in administrators.

The European branch of the business will be wound up, administrators Deloitte said, with 171 jobs going in total.

Harkand provides vessels to support offshore oil platforms and Deloitte said the global depression in oil prices has led to the company posting losses.

The administrators said they hoped to find a buyer for the branches of the business in Texas and Africa but the European arm could not be saved. In Aberdeen, 98 jobs will be lost.

The Aberdeen-based Andrews Survey, which is part of the group and employs 46 people, will continue to trade.

Joint administrator Ian Wormleighton said: "The business has faced losses as a result of the prolonged depression in global oil prices.

"Despite the group's directors seeking to find a solution with its financial stakeholders, a restructuring could not be achieved.

"The directors' decision to appoint administrators came after they could not facilitate a sale of the business in its current state or obtain additional capital to continue to trade.

"Whilst it is disappointing that the majority of the European business is to be wound down, we are still hopeful to be able to save a significant number of jobs in the Group's US and Africa business, and we're confident of securing a buyer for the Aberdeen-based Andrews Survey business."

The Harkand Group employs around 400 people around the world, with a turnover of around £357m.