Scotland’s Lerwick Port Authority (LPA) expects to complete its harbour dredging campaign in Shetland within this month as contractor Boskalis Westminster works through the final areas.
The campaign covers five areas of Lerwick Harbour: North Ness Channel, the central basin, Gremista, Mair’s Pier and Dales Voe. The LPA said the improvements will serve other commercial sectors alongside the energy, cruise and fishing sectors.
“It will support the continued growth of key sectors, create greater flexibility for vessel movements and increase our ability to accommodate larger vessels,” the authority said.
The latest phase began at Dales Voe on June 8, 2026. The authority said operations would then progress to Gremista Basin and North Ness Channel during the summer, with work planned around the clock until completion.
The drill barge Rock Mate and the backhoe dredger Manu Pekka were mobilised for that phase, with the workboat Jenny D and the cargo vessel Shetland Trader providing support. The authority said both Rock Mate and Manu Pekka were also involved in the harbour’s 2008 dredging campaign.
Arch Henderson is managing the project. The authority’s June update identified Bank of Scotland and Highlands and Islands Enterprise as providing support for the works.
The October completion target follows a June-to-September programme for the final phase.
The original programme envisaged hard dredging finishing by the end of 2025, while an August 2025 update put expected completion in February 2026.
During the earlier dredging stages, the dredger Shoalway removed more than 150,000 cubic metres of softer material before Magnor was deployed to work on harder material. Drilling and controlled blasting were planned as a subsequent stage of the campaign.
The authority’s original programme, announced in June 2025, was expected to remove about 450,000 cubic metres of soft material from the seabed and hard rock across the works. The material was to be taken to a disposal site north of Bressay.
The planned scope included widening and deepening North Ness Channel, dredging Mair’s Pier to a continuous depth of 10 metres at the quayside, and deepening the approaches to Gremista Quay.
At Dales Voe, the authority’s original plans specified depths of 14.5 metres alongside the quay and 16 metres in the approaches. The works were intended to improve deep-water access to the port’s facilities.