The long-awaited stabilisation work at Rothesay Harbour has been completed this week, well ahead of schedule and on budget.
Originally set to finish in February 2025, the £1.9m project, which began earlier this year, will now conclude today, December 20.
Carried out by Shearwater Marine Services, the work has been essential in securing the future of Rothesay Pier, ensuring that it can accommodate larger and more powerful vessels than it was originally designed to support.
The project has been a crucial step in maintaining and strengthening the harbour’s infrastructure, which plays a vital role in both the local economy and the island’s tourism industry.
Local quarry Ambrisbeg supplied the concrete for the project and also completed resurfacing works on the pier deck and linkspan access road.
Key elements of the stabilisation works included the construction of a retaining (toe) wall at the base of the original harbour wall.
This wall extends 143 metres from the eastern edge of the harbour to the overnight ferry berth, providing vital stability to the main harbour structure. The toe wall is designed to prevent the loss of fine materials from the seabed behind the original wall, which could have led to further erosion and structural damage.
Additionally, repairs were carried out to the surface of the harbour where visible settlement had occurred over time.
To minimise disruption to the public, much of the work was carried out at night, allowing for essential diving operations and limiting the impact on the ferry timetable.
Remarkably, even with the poor weather conditions that often disrupt such projects, progress remained largely uninterrupted.
A press release from argyll and Bute Council stated: “We were able to work around key weekends, such as Butefest and the Highland Games, ensuring that ferries continued to run a full timetable during these events.
“Even when we lost five days of work due to the Rothesay ferry being unable to berth at Greenock, we were able to stay on track.”
During the course of the project, the site team from AECOM and Shearwater Marine Services engaged with local schoolchildren at Rothesay Joint Campus.
The team provided lessons on the project, including a demonstration using a Lego model of the sea wall and explanations of the diving work involved in the repairs.
The divers also uncovered some of the original timbers from the pier structure, which had been recovered and recycled for local use.
Councillor Ross Moreland, Chair of the Harbour Board, expressed his gratitude to everyone involved in the project; “Rothesay Harbour plays an enormous part in the daily lives of Bute residents, the local economy, and the tourism industry.
“This work helps to secure its future for years to come, protecting its structural integrity and enabling it to accept vessels beyond its original capacity.”
He added: “Our thanks go to the residents of Bute for their patience, to the contractors for delivering a complex programme on time, and to CalMac for their ongoing support throughout the process.”
Residents and visitors can find further details of the project’s development on the council’s website.
The completion of this work ensures that Rothesay Harbour will remain a vital and functional asset for the island for many years to come.
