Contract awarded for new pontoon at Montrose Port to service Scotland’s biggest wind farm

Montrose Port Authority has awarded a contract to a Moray firm for the supply and installation of a new pontoon to service the Seagreen Offshore Wind Farm.

The port has awarded the work to Inland & Coastal Marina Systems UK Ltd, based in Lossiemouth. The work will see a new 30m pontoon installed at the port to allow crew vessels access to the new Operations and Maintenance (O&M) Base for Seagreen, which is currently under construction 27km off the coast of Angus.

The move follows the completion of a new 50 metre communications mast on the site earlier this month, which was previously located in the North of Scotland to service the Moray East wind farm, with the base expected to be operational by the end of 2021.

Throughout the planning and build process, the theme of sustainability – both from an environmental and economical perspective – has been at the forefront, with local businesses working on the project where possible and both the communications mast and office building having been repurposed from other sites across the region.

Captain Tom Hutchison, CEO at Montrose Port Authority, said: “It is great to have the final piece of the proverbial puzzle in place for the Seagreen O&M base at Montrose Port. This investment will allow crew to easily board transfer vessels for regular sailings out to the wind farm which will soon be a regular sight on the River South Esk when it is operational in the next year or so.

“Once again, we were delighted to be able to award the contract to another company based in the North-east of Scotland and looking at Inland & Coastal’s catalogue of previous work, I’m sure this new addition to the port will be a great piece of engineering, designed and built to last.”

Sid Anverali, Senior Project Manager for Seagreen said: “This is a significant milestone, not only for our Operations & Maintenance base at Montrose Port but also for Seagreen and the whole project team.

“Through our supply chain, we’re pleased to again be supporting jobs in Scotland with a base in North East Scotland. It is great to welcome Inland & Coastal Marina Systems on board and we can’t wait to see the pontoon in place.”

Calum MacDougall, Engineering Sales Manager (Scotland) at Inland & Coastal Marina Systems, added: “We are delighted to be involved in such a keystone project and have the opportunity to contribute to a renewable energy future for Scotland and the rest of the UK.

“The offshore wind industry is a very young and exciting sector to be working in at present and we are well placed to provide the highest level of service and solutions thanks to our highly experienced in-house design team.

“We look forward to working with Montrose Port Authority and Seagreen Wind Energy to deliver a high quality berthing pontoon facility to ensure safe access to vessels long into the future.”

The pontoon will be located close to the O&M base on the Port’s South Quay and is expected to handle crew transfers to and from the wind farm once it is operational. Additionally, the first vessels carrying turbine components to sea is due to sail from Montrose later this year marking yet another important milestone for the project.

The new 1,075MW 114-turbine Seagreen Offshore Wind Farm being built 27km off the Angus coast in the Firth of Forth is a £3bn joint venture between TotalEnergies and SSE Renewables and will be Scotland’s largest and deepest offshore wind farm when complete in 2022/23.

The wind farm is expected to provide enough electricity for 1.6million homes – around two thirds of all households in Scotland – and will also see the creation of a £1.8million community benefit fund to create a lasting legacy for the town and wider Angus region.