WORK at Oban’s North Pier pontoons is earmarked to be fully complete by April 2027, a report has said.
Councillors will be updated on work to repair the pontoons, following damage by Storm Eowyn in January 2025, at a meeting next week.
Argyll and Bute Council officers are currently preparing a tender process for the two most damaged pontoons, to be awarded in August.
Replacement of the units is planned for February to March 2027, depending on the weather, with completion and reopening the following month.
A report will go before the council’s Oban Lorn and the Isles area committee at its meeting on Wednesday, June 10.
Executive director Kirsty Flanagan said: “Officers organised initial repair work to replace the fencing, repair the access bridge fixing and replace several damaged pontoons floats.
“This work was carried out in March 2025 allow the inner finger pontoons to reopen safely in March 2025. Additionally, divers confirmed the first section of breakwater (Leg 1), which provides approximately 200m of berthing area, was sound and could be re-opened for use by larger vessels.
“However, due to the damage encountered, the remainder of the facility needed to stay closed for safety of users.
“To plan the necessary long-term repairs, specialist consultant engineers reviewed the dive report findings along with earlier investigations into cracking that had been evident on units prior to the storm. They developed a range of repair and replacement options, each with corresponding timescales.
“A key priority identified was to re-open as much of the facility as possible from April 2026 and to ensure Oban can welcome the returning Clipper Race participants in July 2026.
“This work was planned for early 2026 to take advantage of the usually settled period between February to April to carry out the repairs. Whilst they could have occurred earlier in 2025 this would have required the complete closure of the facility to users.
“Officers considered that this was unsustainable given the preceding disruption and chose to wait until the early 2026 to fit around a usual quiet period at the facility and expected calmer conditions than the period October-December when winter storms are more frequently experienced.
“Temporary works were designed solely to maximise safe access while maintaining structural integrity until the permanent replacements can be procured and installed. They are not intended as a long-term solution.
“This work was carried out between February and April 2026 and the reconfiguration has increased the available berthing by allowing Leg 2 and part of Leg 3 to reopen, increasing the berthing capacity by 240 metres. Around 60m of breakwater remains closed to customers as this encompasses the most damaged units.
“The intention now is to procure replacement units and have them installed over winter 2026/27 allowing the facility to fully reopen in April 2027 without the currently imposed restrictions. This work is underway with officers preparing to tender the replacements.”
Ms Flanagan added: “The two most damaged breakwater units have been relocated to the outermost section of the facility, allowing a greater berthing area to be available for the 2026 sailing season.
“However, one unit is damaged to such an extent that it represents an unacceptable risk of structural failure under load and wave conditions and cannot be fully and correctly fixed onto the mooring chains due to the extent of damage.
“The neighbouring unit is in a better overall condition and is fully connected to the mooring chains but has suffered significant damage, leaving reinforcement exposed and subject to rapid degradation due to the conditions. These two units are considered in need of replacement.
“Following lessons learned from the recent temporary relocation works, it has been agreed that like for like replacements are a suitable choice which will remove the need to relocate any moorings and anchor blocks.
