UK: Two Firms to Manage Ambitious Peterhead Harbour Expansion

Peterhead Port Authority (PPA) has announced the awarding of two key contracts for the design and management of its ambitious £40 million investment into the town’s harbour.

Following an extensive and highly competitive procurement process, civil engineering consultancy, RPS, and architectural firm, Arch Henderson, have secured the work, which will develop the facility into a fully integrated, state-of-the-art fishing hub by the end of 2016.

Plans include the deepening of both the Port’s North and South harbours and approaches, from -3.5m to -6.5m, which would allow vessels unrestricted access and berthing in safe, weather-protected inner basins.

PPA is also looking to construct an all new fish market on the site of the harbour’s former Greenhill market. At present the Port can only handle 5,500 boxes but the new facility would hold more than 9,000, whilst enhancing opportunities for the display and management of fish, helping fishermen to continue to secure top industry prices.

In order to progress the development, PPA is looking to secure 25% of the projected £40million cost of the works from the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF), which provides funding to the fishing industry and coastal communities to help them adapt to changing conditions in the sector.

If secured early next year, works could commence in June 2015 and would take around 18 months to complete, meaning the facility could be fully operational by the end of 2016.

PPA is currently in the midst of carrying out essential preparatory work, including collating all necessary permissions, such as a Harbour Revision Order and Environmental Impact Assessment.

John Wallace, Chief Executive of Peterhead Port Authority, said: “Following an extensive and highly competitive procurement exercise, we are delighted to announce the appointments of RPS and Arch Henderson for the design and management of the £40 million Master Plan development of a new fish market and inner harbour deepening scheme.

“Both firms are amongst the best in their fields and are well equipped to provide the high level of technical expertise required to address this exciting project’s needs. In addition, both Project Managers have an in-depth knowledge of Peterhead and the operations of a busy fishing port.

“We are pleased to welcome them aboard and congratulate them on securing this important contract.”

Dr Michael Shaw, Regional Scotland/Maritime Director of RPS, added: “We are delighted that Peterhead Port Authority has entrusted RPS for the design of the inner harbour deepening scheme, as part of the Port’s £40 million Master Plan development.”

David McBain, Architectural Partner of Arch Henderson, also said: “The Arch Henderson team are delighted to have been appointed to the new Peterhead Port Authority fish market project at Greenhill. We have a long working association with the Port and were the architects for the current market on Merchants Quay, so being invited to design the new market is extremely pleasing.

“We have a broad experience of facilities for the fishing industry and have worked on a number of similar projects across the UK. We look forward to bringing our expertise to this project and delivering a market that will enhance Peterhead’s position as one of the major fishing ports in Europe.”

Peterhead Harbour, the UK’s largest fishing port, has performed extremely strongly for many years, achieving record landings for five successive years, from 2005 to 2010.

The landings figures rose impressively from £104 million in 2006 to £164 million in 2011, further cementing its position as the top performing UK port for both demersal and pelagic fish. Only last year the Port broke 1 million boxes of fish through the market and the Authority is on track to exceed that this year.

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Press Release, June 17, 2014