UK's Kishorn Port to Sign £30m Deep-Water Quay Contract in 2027

en.Wedoany.com Reported - Kishorn Port Limited (KPL) is initiating the procurement process for the construction of a new deep-water quay, with an estimated contract value of £30 million, marking the next phase of the port's redevelopment project. The 150-meter-long East Quay will be built on land reclaimed during the first phase of the expansion, which cost £42.2 million.

The new quay will provide a water depth of 12 meters below Chart Datum, aimed at enhancing the port's capacity in Wester Ross to handle offshore wind, decommissioning, and other marine operations. The scope of the contract includes the installation of steel sheet piles and composite piles, tie rods, precast and cast-in-place concrete capping beams, as well as bollards, ladders, lighting, and ancillary fittings. Additionally, two pile-supported mooring dolphins will be constructed and connected to the quay via steel walkways.

During construction, the contractor will utilize rock stockpiled from the first phase to build temporary cofferdams, with these materials subsequently used as backfill behind the new quay wall. KPL plans to shortlist up to five companies, with the successful bidder serving as the main contractor. The formal contract notice is expected to be published in September, followed by tender documents in November. KPL aims to award the contract in April 2027, with construction commencing in June of the same year.

The project is designated as Phase 1B, following Phase 1A, which included the dry dock extension and 8.5 hectares of foreshore reclamation, with an investment of £42.2 million. RJ McLeod was awarded a construction contract worth £20.9 million in June 2025, serving as the main contractor for that phase. The construction plan involved blasting a 100-meter-long, 60-meter-wide channel through rock to extend the dry dock; approximately one million tonnes of excavated material were transported and reused to form the new land on which the East Quay will sit. The works also encompassed new roads, drainage systems, mooring points, rock protection, and a reinforced concrete working slab.

KPL stated that Phase 1A remains on schedule for completion in September or October. The extended dry dock will be capable of accommodating vessels up to 260 meters in length and 160 meters in width. Highlands and Islands Enterprise has committed £24.3 million to the first phase of the project, with the remaining investment covered by KPL. This public funding comes from the Scottish Government's plan to invest up to £500 million in ports and the offshore wind supply chain over five years. If the new contract is awarded at the estimated value, the total investment in the two main expansion phases will amount to approximately £72 million.

The redevelopment work began in 2017, with the goal of fully restoring the Kishorn dry dock, which had been dormant for over two decades. The dry dock was originally built in the 1970s for the construction of the Ninian Central oil platform.