Ports and Harbours
DeepWind includes many of the main infrastructure players including ports and harbours and supply chains behind them.
Ports and Harbours - East Coast Sites
Wick Harbour
Wick Harbour is now the operations and maintenance hub for SSE's 588MW Beatrice offshore wind farm in the Moray Firth.
It is home to a small fleet of fast CTVs (Crew Transfer Vessels) used to ferry the wind turbine technicians out to the wind farm for routine maintenance and ad hoc repairs.
SSE have refurbished two old derelict buildings on the quayside, built in 1807 by famous civil engineer Thomas Telford, to serve as their operational base in Wick.
The refurbishment was carried out with special attention paid to the historic nature of the buildings and many of the original features were retained. This will serve as home to a new generation of engineers and technicians serving what will become one of the largest industries in Scotland over the coming decades.
Find out more about Wick Harbour section on the Scottish Energy Ports web site.
Image credit: Wick Harbour Authority
Port of Nigg
Situated at the mouth of the Cromarty Firth in the North of Scotland the Port of Nigg has already see extensive use as a construction port for the wind industry. The multi use energy hub is owned and operated by Global Energy Group and their port services both the offshore wind and oil and gas industries.
The picture (right) was taken during the construction phase of SSE's Seagreen wind farm and shows jackets marshalled at the site. Jackets are also being offloaded from a vessel while other are being loaded onto a transfer barge.
The port has also been successful in winning further work on the huge Moray West project which is due to start construction in 2023.
The port is also in prime position to win further work from the other projects in the offshore wind pipeline.
Find out more about the Port of Nigg section on the Scottish Energy Ports web site.
Image credit: Global Energy Group
Port of Cromarty Firth
Situated in the sheltered deep waters of the Cromarty Firth, Port of Cromarty Firth (PoCF) has been very active in offshore wind developments in Scotland for a number of years. The Port was selected as the substructure storage and load-out facility for the Beatrice offshore wind farm and has also succeeded in securing a major contract from Ocean Wind’s Moray East offshore wind farm.
A substantial £30m investment by PoCF has seen the port expand its operational laydown area and deep-water quayside to accommodate larger offshore wind projects. This investment has put the port in pole position to secure future work from the offshore wind industry.
See the Port of Cromarty Firth section on the Scottish Energy Ports website for a more detailed specification on the port's facilities.
Image credit: Scottish Enterprise
Inverness Port
Lying at the head of the Inverness Firth, where it meets the River Ness, the Port of Inverness offers one of the most sheltered and natural ports in the North of Scotland.
With limits extending from Fort George right up to the River Ness, the Port has been at the heart of the Renewables Industry in the Highlands. It has been used as the port of choice for many onshore wind farms in recent years, with well over 250 machines having been delivered through the Port for developments at Dornell, Dunmaglass, Rothes II, and Berryburn to name but a few. Users are attracted by the first-class facilities available including extensive laydown areas that are on offer.
The Port Authority owns an extensive area of foreshore, known as Harbour Gait, that extends to and beyond the Kessock Bridge. There is the opportunity to create first class facilities and the Port Authority have plans to reclaim this land. Upon reclamation, this area can provide up to 39ha (96acres) that is suitable for a number of different uses including expansion of the port, with increased laydown facilities together with being able to offer offshore and onshore wind related companies their own bespoke facilities.
The aerial photograph shows the extent of the current facilities as well as the Harbour Gait Area extending out from the Marina out to and beyond the Kessock Bridge.
See the Port of Inverness section on the Scottish Energy Ports website for a more detailed specification on the port's facilities.
Ardersier Port
This ex-oil and gas yard lies just 12 miles along the A96 to the west of Inverness on the Cromarty Firth and about 5 miles from Inverness Airport. The photograph above is from when it was the McDermott platform fabrication yard in 1972 (image courtesy of Ardersier Port) and shows the layout of the site quite well. All of the buildings on the site have been cleared and there are over 340 acres of available laydown area along with a 1,000m of quayside.
The owners of the site, Ardersier Port, are looking at the opportunity to utilise this brown field site for future offshore wind projects linked to the ScotWind leasing round. Due to the sheer scale of the site it could lend itself to the fabrication and assembly of the largest of the planned substructures and it is being promoted by the owners as a multi-use site.
Contact Ardersier Port through the DeepWind cluster in the first instance
www.ap.uk
Buckie Harbour
For over ten years Buckie Harbour has been home to an offshore wind O&M operation. It was chosen by the Beatrice Demonstrator project as the home for their twin hulled maintenance vessel.
It has now been named as the O&M base for the Moray West offshore wind farm and this will create 60 new jobs and bring economic benefit to the Buckie community for the next 20 years and beyond. The base will be the onshore hub from which the offshore facilities are run through its operational life, with the first projected power for the base thought to be in 2024. The harbour will also be used to support the wind farm during its construction phase.
See the Buckie Harbour section on the Scottish Energy Ports website for a more detailed specification on the port's faculties.
Image credit: Moray Council
Macduff harbour
Macduff is a commercial port on the Moray Firth in the North East of Scotland. Macduff Harbour is set to receive £102,000 as part of a wider project looking to improve harbours and marine training opportunities. Specifically, the money will be used to improve vessel access at the harbour slipway – to ensure that Macduff is a fully operational port to serve the community and fishing industry. Additionally, money has been granted to cover a feasibility study concerning the opportunity of a fish market, and another looking at the feasibility of deepening the harbour at Macduff – which could allow it to be used for turbines.
Macduff can house four individual vessels in its slipway, and it has large-scale fabrication and vessel repair facilities on site, alongside contractors, mobile cranes, and specialist access equipment (such as elevated platforms to raise products so different parts can be worked on). The harbour also has a weigh bridge facility which is available for use 24/7, and there are ship painters, marine chandlery and shipping agents available onsite – based within the harbour.
See the Macduff Harbour section on the Scottish Energy Ports website for a more detailed specification on the port's faculties .
Fraserburgh Harbour
Fraserburgh is a diverse and busy port supporting customers in the offshore wind, fishing, oil and gas and cargo markets. They are well positioned for nearby Scotwind awarded sites and pride themselves on providing a knowledgeable, efficient and high-quality service.
The Moray East Offshore Wind Farm O&M base is fully operational from Fraserburgh Harbour with related SOV and CTV vessel operations. The harbour is committed to the success of all clients and provides smooth operations along with the necessary support required to deliver dependable and predictable outcomes every time.
The Harbour is building on it's current success with the Fraserburgh Harbour Masterplan, an ambitious plan which will bring new Deepwater berthing and quayside space into this port which has an existing skills base and supply chain.
See the Fraserburgh Harbour section on the Scottish Energy Ports website for a more detailed specification on the port's faculties.
Image credit: Fraserburgh Harbour
Port of Peterhead
Peterhead Port, a trust port, is home to operations of two of the North Sea's main industries, fishing and oil and gas. It lays claim to the title of Europe's largest fishing port and for the last 50 years has been an important base for servicing the offshore oil and gas sector. In recent years the harbour has also become involved in the offshore wind industry and was one of the ports used by Equinor during the construction of the world first floating wind farm, the 30MW Hywind Scotland project and handling foundations and support craft for the Aberdeen Offshore Wind Farm.
Recent expansion of the port to the west of the 120m Smith Quay has added a further 32,000m2 of laydown area which is adjacent to the Merchant Quay with its 16,000m2 of land.
See the Peterhead Harbour section on the Scottish Energy Ports web site for a more detailed specification on the port's facilities using this link https://energy.scottishports.org.uk/ports/port-of-peterhead
Image credit: Peterhead Harbour
Aberdeen Harbour
As befitting the city with the title of the Energy Capital of Europe the harbour derives over 50% of its revenue from servicing the oil and gas industry in the UKCS (UK Continental Shelf). It is one of the busiest ports in the UK, with 6,500 vessels movements per annum, and so much so that they are now expanding the port with a new south harbour development in Nigg Bay. This new facility will consist of over 1,400m of quayside, 10.5m water depth and boast 125,000m2 of laydown area. With a completion date in 2022 the harbour authority expects their new South Harbour to play a key role in the development of offshore wind projects on the East Coast.
Further information can be found on the Aberdeen Harbour's website.
Montrose Port
Montrose Port services the North Sea energy industry and the general cargo markets. SSE Renewables have selected Montrose as their base for operations and maintenance related work for their Seagreen offshore wind farm. At 1500MW this will be the largest offshore wind farm in Scotland, when fully commissioned, and will remain so until superseded by SSE Renewables' huge Berwick Bank project which is currently going through the planning process. At 4150MW Berwick Bank will be the largest in the UK. Montrose will be the home of the SSE Operation and Maintenance Base for at least the next 25 years or more and is also aiming to be one of the main operations centres for mooring systems for the rapidly emerging floating wind industry.
See the Port of Montrose section on the Scottish Energy Ports website for a more detailed specification on the port's facilities.
Image Credit: Montrose Port Authority
Energy Park Fife
The Energy Park Fife facility at Methil in Fife is owned by Scottish Enterprise in partnership with Fife Council. The engineering site offers 61 hectares of development land with fabrication company Harland & Wolff occupying 21 hectares.
Harland & Wollff at the Methil and Arnish sites will be working alongside Harland & Wolff Belfast and Appledore to deliver projects across multiple markets – including offshore wind. Specifically, at the Methil site there will be a focus on fabrication for renewable energy, oil and gas, and commercial markets.
The Energy Park Fife has two load-out quays, covered and open assembly areas, covered fabrication areas and a covered storage area in its yard. The fabrication shops are used for preparation of steel plates, tubulars and sections, prefabrication work, sub-assembly of deck sections, PAV’s and node fabrication. The main assembly hall contains cranes and hoists to aid in the final erection and fitting of jackets modules and integrated decks. At 48m wide x 134m long x 30m high, the main assembly hall is one of the largest such facilities in Europe.
See the Energy Park Fife section on the Scottish Energy Ports website for a more detailed specification on the harbour’s faculties.
Image credit: Scottish Enterprise
Ports and harbours
Explore all ports and harbours in Scotland.