A new two-phase scheme to deepen sections of Lerwick Harbour will enhance the port's ability to support various sectors, including fishing, oil and gas, renewables, and the cruise industry.
Shetland has long played a key role in the development of nationally significant energy industry projects, and the islands are one of the most important hubs for the UK fishing and aquaculture industries.
Lerwick Harbour has been central to supporting those sectors, and the port is now ready for a multi-million-pound project to enhance its capabilities.
Dredging will open the door to the next stage of the port’s evolution, attracting future generations of larger vessels and benefitting all port users, particularly the pelagic fishing, cruise, oil and gas, and renewables sectors.
A new capital project involves dredging sections of the harbour to enhance the deep-water facilities, allowing more and larger vessels serving varied sectors to access the port.
Lerwick Port Authority is embarking on a two-phase programme, with an initial contract of around £3.2 million agreed. Boskalis Westminster Ltd, a leading provider of maritime services including dredging, will complete that work.
It’s not the first time that Boksalis has worked on the harbour infrastructure, having undertaken a major dredging project in the North Harbour in 2008. That work cleared the way for ongoing developments that continue to shape the port today.
The new project will deepen the central area of the port, in addition to areas at Dales Voe, the section of the harbour which has already welcomed one of the world’s biggest ships, carrying an entire oil platform for decommissioning.
Port Authority Chief Executive, Captain Calum Grains. said: “Going ahead with this next dredging project reflects the strength of the authority‘s position and our confidence in the potential of the port’s diversified activities.
“Dredging will open the door to the next stage of the port’s evolution, attracting future generations of larger vessels and benefitting all port users, particularly the pelagic fishing, cruise, oil & gas and renewables sectors.”
Work begins in June 2025, with an initial soft dredge phase due for completion in July, followed by the second hard dredge phase for completion by the end of the year.
Dredging will remove both soft seabed materials and hard rock, with an expected total of 450,000 cubic metres taken to a disposal site north of the island of Bressay.
The North Ness channel will be deepened and widened, improving navigational margins and access to Mair’s Pier, which will be dredged to a continuous 10 metres at the quayside. Approaches to Gremista Quay will also be deepened, facilitating future developments for the fishing industry.
Dredging includes improving the approaches at Dales Voe and deepening the section of quay completed in 2016 to 12.5 metres depth to match the original quay. Final depths next to the quay will increase to 14.5 metres and to 16 metres in the approaches.
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