Scotland’s Inverclyde Council has invested almost £15 million to bring more vessels to the port
By
Rebecca Gibson |
Peel Ports is close to completing a new 200-metre-long floating pontoon for cruise ships, which will be moored at Greenock’s Ocean Terminal in Inverclyde, Scotland.
Designed to accommodate 340-metre-long cruise ships, the new pontoon will comprise four caissons, each weighing around 1,000 metric tonnes and made from steel-reinforced concrete filled with polystyrene to ensure buoyancy. The caissons are currently being built at Peel Port’s Inchgreen Dry Dock in Greenock and are expected to be completed and towed out to Ocean Terminal’s dock this February. Once in place, they will be secured to piles driven into the seabed.
Cruise visitors will then be able to step straight from their ships onto the pontoon and walk into the new Ocean Terminal building, which will offer facilities like a restaurant with panoramic views over the Clyde and a purpose-built art gallery. Work on the terminal building is set to start this year.
“The new visitor centre at the Greenock Ocean Terminal is expected to make a significant contribution to economic growth and international tourism across the wider city region area,” said Stephen McCabe, leader of Inverclyde Council. “The Ocean Terminal started as a container terminal, but Peel Ports has significantly expanded the cruise ship side of the business over recent years. These new berthing facilities will help to support that growth and are a vote of confidence in Greenock.”
The new cruise facilities will enable Peel Ports to accommodate larger cruise vessels at Ocean Terminal, which is expected to increase visitor numbers to around 150,000 passengers a year and generate £26 million (US$33.9 million) for the Scottish economy.
“I am pleased that progress is being made on the development of Greenock Ocean Terminal,” said Alister Jack, Secretary of State for Scotland. “This important project will support jobs and businesses by bringing thousands of tourists to the many attractions that West Scotland has to offer.”
Led by Inverclyde Council, the £19.2 million (US$25 million) Ocean Terminal projects is part of the £1 billion (US$1.3 billion) Glasgow City Region City Deal, which is funded equally by the Scottish and UK governments.