£26 million deep-water berth unveiled at Portland Port
It's to allow larger cruise and cargo ships to dock there
A new deep water berth has been officially opened at Portland Port as part of a £26 million development.
It means the port will be able to cater for the increasing size of cruse ships, as well as larger cargo ships.
The port's set to welcome around 130,000 cruise passengers over the coming season.
An official opening ceremony's been held for the berth, with the Lord-Lieutenant of Dorset, Angus Campbell, unveiling a commemorative plaque.
Bill Reeves, chief executive of Portland Port, said:
“This redevelopment is a tremendous vote of confidence in the port and the local economy. It is the largest single investment in Portland Port and its infrastructure in its history, and one of the large redevelopment projects in the area in recent years.
“It sets the stage for significant further growth in the future at the port and for the local economy through jobs and local supply chain. I wish to thank all of our partners and contractors for their support during the course of the redevelopment, including members of the local community, our tenants at the port and neighbouring businesses as well as our managing contractor Knights Brown for their exceptional project delivery."
Work on the redevelopment started last September and had to be completed against a strict deadline of April in time for the cruise season.
The port’s cruise business contributes an estimated £10 million to the local economy.
The new berth has also been opened just ahead of a huge barge arriving at Portland, to house refugees, as part of a Government move to avoid using more expensive hotels while asylum applications are processed by the Home Office.
The Bibby Stockholm is being fitted out in Cornwall at the moment, before coming up the coast this summer, to its home for at least the next 18 months.