
A £16.5 million enlargement of Lerwick harbour for leisure and offshore energy vessels has been officially opened by Shetland MSP Tavish Scott.
This is the largest single capital investment in the 140-year history of the harbour.
Construction work and related services were carried out by local contractors.
The project involved land reclamation, construction of an 800-metre deep-water L-shaped quay, and demolition of a smaller jetty and included creating a working area over 1.5 hectares for the fishing fleet and oil vessels.
Scott said: “Lerwick port authority has, through the decades, invested in Shetland’s future. New quays, facilities and deeper, sheltered water reflect the needs of larger vessels, the ever-changing oil and gas industry and the importance of seafood to Shetland and the wider Scottish and UK economy.
“Shetland is geographically fortunate – in the right place at the right time when North Sea oil was discovered and the industry is being served by the new pier.”