Aberdeen harbour has welcomed its largest vessel after completing £5.2million of work to improve access.
The harbour board said yesterday it had finished widening and deepening the navigation channel five weeks ahead of schedule, in time for the diving support vessel Skandi Arctic to berth safely. The Skandi Arctic, which measures 88.5ft in breadth, 512ft in length and has a gross tonnage of 18,640 tonnes, is the widest ship to use the port.
Aberdeen Harbour Board (AHB) chief executive Colin Parker said: “This dredging and improvement work was of critical importance in order to accommodate the larger vessels that are expected to use the port in the future.
“It is important that we target investment towards improvements and developments, while maintaining existing traffic flows, but also to bring new business to Aberdeen and take advantage of new opportunities – particularly in the subsea and renewables sectors. We are also pleased the work has been completed ahead of schedule and with minimal disruption to our existing customers during significant levels of activity.”
Mr Parker said deepening the entrance to the harbour would also help prevent disruption caused in the past by strong easterly gales.
Last year, the Royal Navy’s 7,500-tonne destroyer HMS Diamond was forced to stay in the harbour for three days due to bad weather.
AHB said yesterday it was on track to complete the second phase of development at Torry Quay by the spring.
The port is extending the deep water quay by nearly 330ft, on top of the 985ft completed earlier this year.
It is also doing a feasibility study on expanding its facilities.
The study aims to identify the future needs of port users, with initial findings expected early next year.