NORTH SEA CABLES LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
SC245021 · ltd · incorporated 2003-03-04
Investment thesis
Zombie company — trading but stalled; unlikely mover.
Why interesting: Quiet, steady; could be a succession or carve-out candidate with the right conversation.
Why risky: No growth signal; thin margin for error on price.
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
not disclosed
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
79/100
Strong
🔔
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What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 99999
Sector: Extraterritorial bodies
Investor take
Pursue
Active trading company with a 65-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 79/100 (strong), bankability 80/100. Strong seller-intent signal (68/100, director aged 65). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Discharge stale live charges. 1 live charge(s) created 15+ years ago — likely paid but undischarged. Clean register. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

1 live charge · oldest 23.0y

45/100
under pressure

Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.

  • · Oldest live charge is 23.0 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
  • · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.

Data confidence

Overall: medium (59/100)

Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.

Company profile
address, 1 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
No iXBRL financials extracted
0
Lenders & charges
1 charges (1/1 with lender, 1/1 with type)
90
Directors & officers
13 officers (2 active, 13 linked, 8 with DOB)
82
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
10 connected companies via shared directors
75
Filing history
93 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
79/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.

Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
70
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.

Recent activity

Last 30 days
2
filings
  • • 1 gazette
  • • 1 dissolution
Last 90 days
4
filings
  • • 1 gazette
  • • 1 dissolution
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
4
filings
  • • 1 gazette
  • • 1 dissolution
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (43 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-05-05
    📄
    gazette-notice-voluntary
    gazette · GAZ1(A)
  2. 2026-04-23
    📄
    dissolution-application-strike-off-company
    dissolution · DS01
  3. 2026-02-26
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  4. 2025-09-05
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  5. 2024-03-12
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  6. 2024-02-22
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  7. 2023-06-12
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  8. 2022-01-13
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  9. 2021-08-31
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC05
  10. 2021-01-26
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  11. 2020-02-10
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  12. 2020-02-07
    ➖
    MCLEAN, Steven resigned
    director
  13. 2020-01-16
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  14. 2019-02-27
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  15. 2018-08-03
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  16. 2018-06-06
    📄
    appoint-person-secretary-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP03
  17. 2018-06-06
    📄
    termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM02
  18. 2018-05-25
    ➕
    FREELAND, Alan appointed
    secretary
  19. 2018-05-25
    ➖
    SPEIRS, Ethel Victoria resigned
    secretary
  20. 2018-03-22
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  21. 2017-12-12
    ➕
    MCLEAN, Steven appointed
    director
  22. 2017-10-01
    ➖
    NAPIER, David Wyness resigned
    director
  23. 2015-03-11
    ➕
    FREELAND, Alan appointed
    director
  24. 2015-03-11
    ➖
    CARSWELL, Gordon William resigned
    secretary
  25. 2015-03-11
    ➕
    SPEIRS, Ethel Victoria appointed
    secretary
  26. 2015-03-11
    ➖
    CARSWELL, Gordon William resigned
    director
  27. 2015-03-11
    ➖
    MACLEAN, Donald Roderick resigned
    director
  28. 2015-03-11
    ➖
    MACLEAN, Robert Lewis resigned
    director
  29. 2015-03-11
    ➕
    NAPIER, David Wyness appointed
    director
  30. 2015-03-11
    ➖
    PITTS, Mary Helen resigned
    director
  31. 2014-03-24
    ➖
    MACLEAN, John Roderick resigned
    director
  32. 2003-05-19
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company
  33. 2003-04-30
    ➕
    MACLEAN, Donald Roderick appointed
    director
  34. 2003-04-30
    ➕
    MACLEAN, John Roderick appointed
    director
  35. 2003-04-30
    ➕
    MACLEAN, Robert Lewis appointed
    director
  36. 2003-03-27
    ➕
    CARSWELL, Gordon William appointed
    secretary
  37. 2003-03-27
    ➖
    FIRST SCOTTISH SECRETARIES LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  38. 2003-03-27
    ➕
    CARSWELL, Gordon William appointed
    director
  39. 2003-03-27
    ➕
    PITTS, Mary Helen appointed
    director
  40. 2003-03-27
    ➖
    FIRST SCOTTISH INTERNATIONAL SERVICES LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-director
  41. 2003-03-04
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As NORTH SEA CABLES LIMITED
  42. 2003-03-04
    ➕
    FIRST SCOTTISH SECRETARIES LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  43. 2003-03-04
    ➕
    FIRST SCOTTISH INTERNATIONAL SERVICES LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-director

Owner dependency

90/100
Critical — business is the founder

The business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.

FACTORS
  • +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 65 — succession pressure is live.

Succession & seller-readiness

80/100
Likely off-market candidate

Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.

SIGNALS
  • primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 65. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
  • primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 23 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.
  • supportingClean filings + long tenure: Disciplined long-tenure operator — classic lifestyle-business pattern that often sells quietly.

Red flags

clean
No red flags detected from available public data. (This is not a clean bill of health — detailed accounts review still recommended.)

Group structure

Maclean International Group Limited is the ultimate parent — holding 75%+ shares. This company sits inside their group.

🏛️
Maclean International Group Limited
Corporate parent · holds 75-100% shares · board control
ultimate parent
⬇
NORTH SEA CABLES LIMITED
This company · SC245021

Parent relationships inferred from Persons with Significant Control filings. Full subsidiary tree requires reverse-lookup (coming).

Shareholders & ownership

1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Maclean International Group Limited
Corporate entity
75–100%
75–100%board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control06/04/2016

From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.

🔒Co-director network graph

Radial SVG graph showing every company connected via shared directors, colour-coded by status.

Available from the Pro tier upwards.

See pricing →

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Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions

8 specific questions generated from this company's actual signals — liquidity, leverage, director age, charge count, red flags, age-of-company.

Available from the Pro tier upwards.

See pricing →
🔒Advanced scoring suite

Exit-route ranking, improvement thesis, quiet-distress detector, covenant-pressure proxy, extraction monitor, approaching triggers, ownership drift, local cluster, value trap, debt capacity, archetype classification — 48+ scoring modules.

Available from the Pro tier upwards.

See pricing →

Company details

Statusactive
Typeltd
Incorporated2003-03-04
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC99999 — SIC 99999

Registered office

C/O Maclean International Group Limited Peterseat Drive
Altens
Aberdeen
AB12 3HT
United Kingdom

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-09-30
Last made up to: 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-03-18
Last: 2026-03-04

Officers (2 active · 11 resigned)

FREELAND, Alan→
secretary · appointed 2018-05-25
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
FREELAND, Alan→
director · ~65y · appointed 2015-03-11
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
CARSWELL, Gordon William→
secretary · appointed 2003-03-27 · resigned 2015-03-11
Resigned
SPEIRS, Ethel Victoria→
secretary · appointed 2015-03-11 · resigned 2018-05-25
Resigned
FIRST SCOTTISH SECRETARIES LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2003-03-04 · resigned 2003-03-27
Resigned
CARSWELL, Gordon William→
director · ~72y · appointed 2003-03-27 · resigned 2015-03-11
Resigned
MACLEAN, Donald Roderick→
director · ~71y · appointed 2003-04-30 · resigned 2015-03-11
Resigned
MACLEAN, John Roderick→
director · ~99y · appointed 2003-04-30 · resigned 2014-03-24
Resigned
MACLEAN, Robert Lewis→
director · ~70y · appointed 2003-04-30 · resigned 2015-03-11
Resigned
MCLEAN, Steven→
director · ~55y · appointed 2017-12-12 · resigned 2020-02-07
Resigned
NAPIER, David Wyness→
director · ~65y · appointed 2015-03-11 · resigned 2017-10-01
Resigned
PITTS, Mary Helen→
director · ~71y · appointed 2003-03-27 · resigned 2015-03-11
Resigned
FIRST SCOTTISH INTERNATIONAL SERVICES LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-director · appointed 2003-03-04 · resigned 2003-03-27
Resigned

Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.

Mortgages & charges

1
Total charges
1
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:1 of 1 shown
TypeProperties
outstanding
Virgin Money
Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company
Floating charge1 property19/05/2003—
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (93 total)

gazette-notice-voluntary
gazette · GAZ1(A)
2026-05-05
dissolution-application-strike-off-company
dissolution · DS01
2026-04-23
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-03-11
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2026-02-26
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2025-09-05
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-03-11
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2024-03-12
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-03-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2024-02-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2023-06-12
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-03-15
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-03-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2022-01-13
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC05
2021-08-31
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-03-09