A SCOTS port is to undergo a £30 million expansion which will allow it to welcome the world's largest tourist cruise ships and bolster its place in the energy industry.
The news comes after the Port of Cromarty Firth board landed a £10m contract from Moray East Offshore Windfarm to become the intermediate port for its 95-turbine development.
The new quayside will generate 140 jobs in Invergordon and across the Highlands and Islands.
The 715ft (218m) quayside and nine acres of lay-down area has been designed as a new energy and cruise hub, to be completed by 2020.
Read more: Port wins £5.4m backing for redevelopment
The redevelopment will be the second quayside project in three years after an earlier £25m expansion contributed to its most successful year in 2017.
Bob Buskie, Port of Cromarty Firth chief executive, said: "As a trust port, all of our profits are reinvested in the port’s future development.
"We believe this investment will be help bring new work to the area for decades to come."
Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn and Cabinet Secretary for the Rural Economy, said the development is "a result of hard work by the team at PoCF".
Read more: Port plans tourist cruise ship expansion after record results
It is funded jointly by the port and HIE, with support from the European Regional Development fund and Royal Bank of Scotland.
Charlotte Wright, HIE chief executive, said the move puts the port in a "strong position to win further business in the energy sector and expand its capacity in the growing cruise ship market".
Lindsay Smith, RBS, said that "this new tranche of investment will ensure it continues to thrive and build upon its role as a premier supporter of the industry’s largest rig inspection, repair and maintenance, subsea and renewables projects".
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