Contractor pulls out of Aberdeen harbour project

The main firm behind the £350m expansion of Aberdeen harbour has pulled out of the project.

Dragados UK will no longer be involved from 15th of June 2020 – it’s blaming the coronavirus pandemic as a well as “other factors.”

The Aberdeen Harbour board says work is underway to find a new firm to take over this part of the construction.

Michelle Handforth, Chief Executive, explained “This year’s summer season was of critical importance to the Aberdeen Harbour expansion project, as we endeavoured to complete a series of major construction milestones and continued to address the rock removal challenges first identified in October last year.

“The interruption to the schedule as a result of the COVID-19 emergency has had the effect of greatly compounding those existing challenges.

It is too early at this stage to confirm what impact this will have on the construction timeline, especially given current COVID-19 restrictions, but the intention for a phased opening, when safe to do so, remains unaffected”.

A spokesperson for Dragados UK explained: “Dragados UK is proud of the progress achieved with this project but the COVID 19 emergency and other factors have meant that our involvement in the project has ended earlier than originally anticipated. We wish the project every success as it progresses towards completion”

In line with Scottish Government Guidance, activities on site are currently restricted to essential site protection works, safety and security measures.

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