Stornoway Port Authority (SPA) enjoyed an excellent 2022 as construction work of its deep water harbour took another huge leap forward.
The £49 million project, part of a plan to bring significant, lasting economic benefits throughout the islands, remains on budget and on programme to be completed late 2023.
The aim is to welcome larger cruise liners to the facility in 2024.
Huge progress made was thanks to the efforts of contractor McLaughlin & Harvey, which is working closely with the SPA’s specialist marine civil engineers Wallace Stone and the port operations team to keep the project on course for its projected opening.
The 6.5 hectare port will provide modern facilities for a variety of sectors, including the energy and transport industries.
As well as being able to accommodate on and offshore wind farm vessels and support other energy sector activity, its main berth will be suitable for the largest cruise liners.
This will provide a further boost to the islands’ important tourism industry following a record-
The final ship to depart was the Hebridean Princess – which once docked in Stornoway with Queen Elizabeth II on board.
The foresight in building a deep water berth was confirmed by the recent announcement by Ofcom that a 1.8GW subsea interconnector to export renewable energy from the Western Isles to mainland Scotland is to be built by 2030.
The terminal will help support several long-
The Goat Island development was completed in 2022, with the engineering building almost complete. The area has seen a vast improvement over the last four years with the reclamation, the new Macduff Shellfish factory – with langoustine processed there being shipped around the world – the marina and the 100 tonne boat lift. The facility is already a huge benefit to both commercial and leisure vessels.
The announcement of the ScotWind licence holders also brought the opportunity of significant future business for the port authority and stakeholders such as Harland & Wolff (Arnish). SPA’s operations also welcomed two electric vehicles, which again will help with net zero ambitions.
In 2023, as well as the DWT due to be in operational use by the end of the year, it will be an exceptionally busy year for cruise ship visits with a further significant increase in passenger numbers expected. SPA is already working with local partners to ensure that the island is ready for the huge economic opportunities that the increase in numbers will bring.
SPA chief executive, Alex Macleod, said: “Our port masterplan remains firmly on track as we look to bring real, long-
“We are delighted that despite the impact on our communities of the Covid-
“The end of the year also brought fantastic news with the confirmation that the interconnector will finally be built. This will be a game-
“Thanks to the deep water terminal facility, the port will be able to provide increased operational capacity, allowing much larger vessels for delivery of equipment and also for exporting for fabricated structures by Harland & Wolff (Arnish) fabrication yard.
“We look forward to further success in 2023, culminating in the completion of the deep water terminal DWT, which will be a historic moment for the SPA, the island and the Outer Hebrides.”
Stornoway’s new deep water harbour starts to take shape
5 January 2023