Kishorn Port Ltd

A deep-water port and dry dock facility, supporting oil & gas, decommissioning, and renewables.

Kishorn Port Limited (KPL) was formed in 2008 as a joint venture between Ferguson Transport & Shipping and Leiths (Scotland) Ltd, working closely with the energy industries and local community with the objective of regenerating the site and bringing it back into full use.

The two companies transfer their skills into the energy sectors through the quarrying, concrete, and construction materials expertise of Leiths, and the port operations, marine services, and transport logistic skills of Ferguson Transport & Shipping. Combined, the parent companies employ over 700 skilled staff.
With full Planning Permission, work has commenced on KPL’s £42.2million expansion project which will see the dry dock increased and land reclaimed to create capacity for the manufacture of concrete floating offshore wind foundations. It will allow us to provide full integration, with laydown, marshalling and assembly, in the long term.

KPL have a Waste Management Licence, EU Ship Recycling Licence, and a NORM Permit in place to accommodate the requirements of the following sectors: oil & gas maintenance, decommissioning projects; laydown and assembly of renewable energy devices; operations in manufacturing of offshore wind, wave and tidal sectors, aquaculture and timber industries.

The Dry Dock has an opening of 166m with a concrete base floor of circa 160m in diameter (currently being extended to accommodate vessels 260m in length), and a depth of 13.8m @MHWS, making it one of the best sites in Europe within its field with an almost unlimited load bearing capacity on the dock floor. The sheltered nature of Loch Kishorn allows for minimum amount of disruption to operations due to sea state, even in winter months. The ongoing expansion project is also accommodating the reclamation of 8.5Ha of foreshore ground. This will increase the area of laydown land available for renewable energy operations alongside port activities by 9.5Ha, providing over 20+Ha of suitable land for laydown and an overall footprint of 45Ha for assembly and load-out of offshore floating wind structures. There will also be a replacement of an existing quay and a new 500m quay with a minimum depth of 20m, providing anchorages and moorings for vessels and offshore floating assets within the port boundaries.

The site at Kishorn was originally developed in the 1970s by Howard Doris Ltd for the construction of the renowned 600,000t Ninian Central Platform. The Ninian Central Platform is one of the largest man-made objects to ever be moved across the face of the Earth. Other notable projects since the Ninian Central Platform include BP’s Buchan Alpha, which was serviced in Kishorn and modified for a major refit and conversion to gas lift operations for the North Sea, the construction of the topside of the Maureen Field Platform, the Morecambe Steel DP-4, and the construction of caissons for the Skye Bridge and groundbreaking trials by the wave energy company Albatern.

More recently in 2019, Kishorn Port welcomed the arrival of Diamond Offshore’s Ocean GreatWhite, one of the largest semi-submersible drilling rigs in the world. Whilst stationed at the port over a period of 2 months the rig underwent preparations for a drilling campaign in the North Sea. The port provided a supply base and Ferguson Transport & Shipping provided offshore marine agency and stevedoring support. With a draft of over 23 metres, the rig required deep water for anchoring and Loch Kishorn provided the ideal sheltered conditions for this task.

In 2020 the port accommodated the downsizing and recycling of the cargo vessel the MV Kaami, followed by the Voyageur Spirit FPSO which was moored for preservation and maintenance, and the anchorage of the Banff FPSO for TeeKay. The Northern Producer Semi-Submersible FPF also arrived for storage in the loch, before being towed into the dry dock in 2023 for recycling.

In 2023 the Voyageur Spirit FPSO was successfully relocated outside the dock before being floated on to the deck of the Heavy Load Carrier Xin Yao Hua for onwards sailing to Dubai. This allowed the Noble Intrepid, one of the world’s largest jack-up rigs, to enter the dry dock for inspection, maintenance and repairs. We also welcomed the return of Diamond Offshores Ocean GreatWhite for anchorage in the loch with supporting marine services, prior to going to a further drilling campaign Northwest of Shetland for BP.

Notably, Kishorn Port successfully completed the first of its kind demolition and recycling of the Northern Producer FPSO, setting a significant benchmark in dry dock decommissioning operations. This pioneering project underscores KPL’s strategic vision, technical capabilities, and commitment to positively impacting the local economy and contributing to global environmental goals.