The major upgrade of Lerwick Harbour in Shetland has been kicked up a notch with the award of a contract for the extension of its Dales Voe South quay.
LPA said yesterday it had picked BAM Nuttall – the UK subsidiary of Dutch construction company Royal BAM – to carry out the work on the quay, which will get under way in April and is expected to be completed in April next year.
Dales Voe South is one of a number of projects in the offing at the port. Late last year building work got underway on a new £17million jetty at Holmsworth North, while a new fish market is slated for construction on Mair’s Quay, which was completed in 2013 at a cost of £3.17million.
The work on Dales Voe South — which is one of the deepest quays in Scotland, with a depth of 41ft alongside — is aimed at widening the port’s subsea oil and gas services and decommissioning capabilities.
BAM is tasked with lengthening the quay to 425ft from 170ft, giving it a load-bearing capacity of 18tonnes per square foot.
The Highlands and Islands Enterprise has stumped up £2.39million for the expansion, with a further £9.56million coming from LPA’s lender, Bank of Scotland.
LPA harbourmaster Calum Grains, said: “The contract marks an important step in further developing Lerwick’s role as a leading centre of offshore industry operations.
“Dales Voe South is another value-added expansion and reflects our confidence in future activity, including ongoing subsea projects, particularly west of Shetland, and the developing decommissioning and offshore renewable markets.”
BAM has already take part in several construction projects in Scotland, including the £8million Calliachar Wind Farm in Perthshire, Maldie hydroelectric scheme in Sutherland, and is currently building the £200million borders railway linking Edinburgh with Tweedbank, about 40 miles south east.
The company expects the construction project to create jobs for 40 people.
Speaking about the contract award, Dougie Grant, BAM Nuttall’s business unit manager for Scotland, said: ‘We’ve been tracking the proposals for Dales Voe for over a year now and we’re delighted to have been chosen by the Port Authority as their construction partner.
“We understand the positive impact this scale of investment can have locally and we look forward to engaging proactively with the Shetland community to ensure this benefit is fully realised.”
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