Aberdeen South Harbour expansion nears end

The £350 million Aberdeen South Harbour expansion project – the largest marine infrastructure program currently underway in the United Kingdom – is in the “final sprint” towards a phased opening later this year.

After completion, this capital development project will open significant opportunities for the region, in both new and existing international markets.

At highest tide, the entrance channel will be 15 meters deep, meaning that some of the largest vessels used in the global maritime industry can safely arrive and depart from the Harbour. 

To handle the global fleet of larger vessels, Aberdeen Harbour needs more berthage, deeper and stronger quays and significantly increased lay-down area.

A unique location at the heart of the city limits their capacity to expand North Harbour to accommodate these vessels, which is why they invested six years of detailed planning, public engagement and large-scale feasibility studies to expanding the port to the south of the current Harbour. 

In 2016, the construction contract was signed, and construction of South Harbour began in 2017.

The Aberdeen Harbour Expansion Project has been recognised by the Scottish Government in the National Planning Framework as an infrastructure project with national significance.

As proud custodians of the marine environment, the need to safeguard the wildlife that call Aberdeen Harbour home is a vital consideration throughout the construction process, they stated.

“Our ‘Double-Bubble Curtain’ is one of the many innovative measures designed to protect marine mammals during construction. We’re proud to be the first organisation to use this Curtain in the UK – with impressive results,” Aberdeen Harbour said in their official statement.

The curtain is made entirely of bubbles, which emanate from two 850-meter long compressed air perforated hoses, which sit along the seabed at the mouth of the new port. 

The hoses are connected to a bank of 10 compressors which are turned on when underwater construction is taking place. 

The curtain of bubbles, which reaches the surface of the water, reflects sound back into the bay and away from the surrounding area, significantly limiting disruption to marine mammals.

The Harbour Board recently awarded two new contracts for the construction of the South Breakwater and Crown Wall, with a total value of £60 million.

Under the agreement, Van Oord will act as the principal contractor for the 550-meter-long South Breakwater, and Scottish-based construction firm Beattie FRC will build the concrete Crown Wall along the length of the North Breakwater.

According to the Harbour, both structures will provide critical protection for vessels and operations within the expansion program, ultimately protecting the port from a one-in-100-year storm. 

The 10-meter-high Crown Wall – or wave wall – is going to be built using concrete produced at the batching plant on the north-west corner of the expansion site.

“The wall will ensure extremely high waves cannot obstruct operations on the East Quay (Dunnottar Quay),” said the Harbour.

According to Van Oord, their backhoe dredger Razende Bol, side-stone dumping vessel HAM 602 and split hopper barge Johannis de Rijke are part of the equipment to be deployed.

All work on the Aberdeen Harbour Expansion Project is being carried out in line with Scottish Government COVID-19 guidelines.

Once complete, Aberdeen Harbour will be the largest berthage port in Scotland and will welcome vessels up to 300 meters in length.

“The expansion of Aberdeen Harbour has never been more important, both for the north-east and the rest of the country. South Harbour will open a world of possibilities and will position Aberdeen as a world leader in the changing energy landscape, while radically growing Scotland’s maritime industry and international shipping potential,” concluded Michelle Handforth, Chief Executive of Aberdeen Harbour Board.