Portland Port in the UK has officially opened a new deep-water berth as part of a £26 million (US$33 million) development.
Redevelopment of the deep-water quays at the port has enhanced its cruise and cargo handling operations as well as its service provision for vessels including those from the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.
The new berth enables the port to meet rising demand in anticipation of increasing sizes of cruise ships, including liners of up to 350 metres in length.
The work involved removal of the existing deep-water berth and creation of a new, extended berth 250 metres in length with 12 metres of water depth alongside capable of handling cruise ships up to 350 metres long.
In addition, the project delivered a 75-metre extension to the port's Outer Coaling Pier (OCP), used for the handling of dry bulk cargo and also used as a cruise berth, to a length of 250 metres and 11 metres water depth alongside.
Overall, the project has provided 16,000 square metres of additional quayside space. This means the port can handle two 350-metre-long cruise ships alongside at the same time.
The development was undertaken by construction company Knights Brown and used 380,000 tonnes of locally sourced infill material and 4,800 tonnes of steel.
