£26m Investment for Redevelopment of Major Commercial Port in Dorset
Work on the redevelopment of Portland Port, which commenced last September, continued this year with the creation of a new deep-water berth which has just been officially opened. This redevelopment is a great vote of confidence in the port and sets the scene for significant further growth from which the local economy will undoubtedly benefit through jobs and the supply chain. For further details please read the article below which was issued today by Insider News Media.
Roger Mundy, Managing Director, Beardsley Theobalds, 31st August 2023
Record £26m Investment for Dorset Port
A major commercial port in Dorset has officially opened a new deep-water berth as part of a record £26m development.
Portland Port held a ceremony with more than 150 guests to celebrate completion of the landmark project.
Redevelopment of the deep-water quays has enhanced its cruise and cargo handling operations, as well as its service provision for vessels including those from the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.
It enables the site to meet rising demand and "keep ahead of the trend" for increasing sizes of cruise ships, including liners of up to 350m in length.
The investment is the largest in the port's 27-year history and comes as it welcomes a record 130,000 passengers over the coming cruise season.
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."
He added: "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.
"We're also grateful to HSBC UK for its support with an eight-figure financial package to enable this work to go ahead."
Work on the redevelopment with Knights Brown started last September.
