Clydeport is making waves with new investment in Inverclyde and Ayrshire

Inchgreen itself is a remarkable facility – one of the largest operational dry docks in Europe, on a 31-acre site on the south bank of the Clyde within the Inverclyde region, which has been identified in the National Renewables Infrastructure Plan (NRIP) as a potential offshore renewables site.

“Talks are ongoing looking at Inchgreen to be part of the next phase of the Glasgow City Deal to serve as a maritime and support services hub as it is ideal for this,” says Andrew Hemphill.

He stresses the versatility of Inchgreen. “The dry dock is multi-purpose: it can be used for civil construction, as at the moment, and when that contract is finished there will be a company coming in to build and manufacture caisson gates (floating dock gates) for another port. Plus, if Cammell Laird, which is part of the Peel Ports group, has a need for shipbuilding or ship repair we can also use it for that and we have, in addition, had enquiries for decommissioning.”

Decommissioning is a major opportunity for Scottish ports, representing just under 10% of the oil and gas industry’s overall expenditure with the forecast of around £1.5 billion a year set to remain constant over the next decade.

“There are a great number of health and safety and environmental restrictions surrounding decommissioning, but we are totally committed to safety and to the most environmentally friendly ways of doing this,” he says.

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“Inchgreen has great potential for further business. It’s constantly used and is the kind of facility that has been leased in the past for months – and sometimes years – depending on the project and the timescale involved.”

With a large quayside which Hemphill says is busy with large vessels engaged in offshore work calling alongside and using Inchgreen as a base, he sees the facility as integral to Clydeport’s portfolio. “It’s a major asset to Peel Ports, to the local area and to Scotland and we’re actively working with Inverclyde Council to grow the volume of business and jobs there,” he says.

In North Ayrshire, Hunterston Port and Resource Centre – Hunterston PARC – is a 300-acre site owned and operated by Peel Ports which was historically used for the bulk import of coal – a market that ended dramatically as renewable energy sources supplanted traditional fossil fuels.

Since then Clydeport has been working with public and private sector partners to find a viable future for the site that will attract substantial investment and major job creation, resulting in Peel Ports publishing the draft Hunterston Masterplan published last May.

It’s estimated that the site is capable of supporting more than 1,700 jobs and adding over £140m in economic value to Scotland and Hemphill says there is no other single site in the UK that offers Hunterston’s combination of deep-water, extensive land area and transport links.

“There’s a big dry dock – larger than at Inchgreen – and we are looking installing a caisson gate, which is a project we will take forward when we secure a customer. Whether that’s for construction or decommissioning we are open to opportunities, while ensuring the work is done correctly and responsibly as it’s our number one priority that everyone who comes to work at Clydeport goes home safely.”

Hunterston, he says, has been a port for 40 years and will remain a port for the next 40 years and beyond. “That will bring further regeneration to North Ayrshire, with new employment and will allow us to train people for skilled jobs and put them in an area of industry where the potential for earning is exceedingly high.”