Project record

Maraen Port of Nigg Eastern Inner Dock Quay

Participation
Not assessed
Project facts checked

Construction contract awarded; site preparations commenced

Project sources

Maraen Port of Nigg has awarded McLaughlin & Harvey the construction contract for a new heavy-duty Eastern Inner Dock Quay. The £30 million-plus investment will create about 16,000 m² of quay area, add roll-on/roll-off capacity, and connect the adjacent Sumitomo Electric high-voltage cable factory directly to cable load-out and export operations.

Port of Nigg East Quay with offshore wind turbine components and a jack-up installation vessel beside the Eastern Inner Dock Quay development area

Maraen Port of Nigg / Seagreen Wind Energy Ltd

Location

United Kingdom / Europe

Segment

Port infrastructure

Phase

Construction / Confirmed

Last checked

12 August 2026

Coverage

Related sectors

Port infrastructure is the primary work classification. Related sectors connect this record to adjacent marine delivery and market coverage.

Subject index

Related subjects

These subject pages bring together related projects, technical articles, reports, and evidence methods.

Project anatomy

Contract scope and delivery roles

Client / authority
Maraen Port of Nigg
Delivery parties
McLaughlin & Harvey
Contract route
Owner-awarded construction contract within a £30 million-plus port investment, supported by a £10 million Highlands and Islands Enterprise grant; the contract price, bidder field and detailed commercial terms are not disclosed
Execution window
Final investment approval was announced on 26 March 2026 and the construction award on 28 May 2026, when the owner said site preparations had commenced. Construction completion, handover, commissioning and first cable export are not dated in the current disclosures.
Works package
Modify the existing eastern inner-dock rock revetment into a vertical retaining-wall, heavy-duty quay covering about 16,000 m²; provide additional Ro-Ro capability; and create a dedicated load-out and export interface for high-voltage cables manufactured at the adjacent Sumitomo Electric facility.
Marine interfaces
The delivery chain joins revetment conversion, retaining-wall and quay construction, berth and mooring geometry, heavy-load pavement, Ro-Ro access, cable-handling routes, load-out engineering, cable installation vessels, and safe construction inside an operating energy port. The public record does not identify a separate dredging package or accepted berth depth for the new quay.
Commercial evidence boundary
The award converts a consented port plan into an executable civil package and anchors a specific cable-export use case. Supplier demand spans marine civils, heavy-load and Ro-Ro interfaces, mooring and fendering, cable logistics, temporary works, commissioning and vessel coordination. Revenue or operating performance still depends on physical completion, load testing, berth acceptance, cable-factory output, vessel readiness and the first documented export operations.

Project timeline

Material developments

Dated events that changed scope, counterparties, delivery, commissioning or operating status.

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Maraen awarded the construction contract and began site preparations

The owner named McLaughlin & Harvey for the Eastern Inner Dock Quay and said site preparations had commenced. The award establishes the delivery contractor and an early site state; it does not disclose the construction-contract price or prove retaining-wall installation, quay completion, berth acceptance, or cable load-out readiness.

Source

Final investment moved the consented quay into funded delivery

Maraen announced the £30 million-plus final investment after securing planning consent and the marine licence, with a £10 million Highlands and Islands Enterprise grant. The decision funded the project boundary but did not establish physical marine works, completion timing, or accepted operating capacity.

Source

HIE approved up to £10 million of public support

Highlands and Islands Enterprise linked its support to the heavy-duty quay and Sumitomo cable-factory export route. The funding commitment established public backing and the intended industrial use; it was not a construction award, evidence of grant drawdown, or proof of cable-export operations.

Source

The marine-licence proposal exposed the quay-wall concept

The owner described converting the existing eastern inner-dock rock revetment into a vertical retaining-wall quay. The proposal defined the marine-civil concept, while approval, final investment, contractor appointment, field execution, and acceptance remained separate later gates.

Source

Evidence gap

What remains unverified

Outstanding evidence

  • Marine-civil mobilisation and retaining-wall construction
  • Quay completion date and handover evidence
  • Heavy-load pavement, Ro-Ro, fender, and mooring acceptance
  • Berth geometry and any dredging or depth requirement
  • Cable-factory-to-quay logistics and load-out trials
  • First evidenced cable installation vessel operation

Related records 2

Reporting status

Project phase
Construction
Evidence confidence
Confirmed
Last checked
12 August 2026
Cited sources
5

Sources and related records

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Source collections

Project sources 5