Marine works are due to begin this week on the largest single capital investment project ever undertaken by Belfast Harbour, the development of a new deepwater terminal to facilitate increased cruise tourism and enable offshore wind energy.
The project will see the £90m construction of a new dual purpose deepwater quay which will be able to accommodate some of the world’s largest cruise vessels, while also expanding the port’s capacity for offshore wind turbine assembly and installation. As a Trust Port, Belfast Harbour is self-financing and invests all post-tax profits in developing the port and estate to benefit the city and region.
With 146 cruise vessels scheduled to berth at Belfast Harbour this year, Belfast is already the busiest cruise port on the island and second busiest cruise port in the UK. The investment will futureproof Belfast’s position as a leading city for cruise tourism. It will also enable the growth of the already significant contribution of cruise tourism to the regional economy, estimated at between £20m-£25m per year.
Civil engineering contractor Graham Construction has been announced as the main contractor for the initial phase of the build. Stage one of the construction programme is expected to be delivered for the 2028 cruise season. Stage two of the build, anticipated by 2030, will further strengthen the infrastructure, so that the port can play a leading role in the assembly and installation of the next generation of floating offshore wind turbines.
The project will see the £90m construction of a new dual purpose deepwater quay which will be able to accommodate some of the world’s largest cruise vessels, while also expanding the port’s capacity for offshore wind turbine assembly and installation. As a Trust Port, Belfast Harbour is self-financing and invests all post-tax profits in developing the port and estate to benefit the city and region.
With 146 cruise vessels scheduled to berth at Belfast Harbour this year, Belfast is already the busiest cruise port on the island and second busiest cruise port in the UK. The investment will futureproof Belfast’s position as a leading city for cruise tourism. It will also enable the growth of the already significant contribution of cruise tourism to the regional economy, estimated at between £20m-£25m per year.
Civil engineering contractor Graham Construction has been announced as the main contractor for the initial phase of the build. Stage one of the construction programme is expected to be delivered for the 2028 cruise season. Stage two of the build, anticipated by 2030, will further strengthen the infrastructure, so that the port can play a leading role in the assembly and installation of the next generation of floating offshore wind turbines.
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00we're launching the biggest investment decision that belfast harbor commissioners
00:10has ever made in the launch of d3 which will house crews and offshore wind facilities we
00:16launched our advanced regional prosperity strategy in january of this year and one of
00:20the key components was the port primacy we value our port customers more highly than anything else
00:26and this project is evidence of that today we're marking the award of our largest ever contract to
00:31graham construction 90 million pound contract for the construction of a deep water berth 340 meters
00:38and for us as a large team at back west harbor it's wonderful to be able to see a large-scale
00:42project like this we've got the drawing board the design board and into construction so graham will
00:48take about two years to complete this deep water facility primary purpose for the facility is to
00:54cater for cruise ships are a very significant part of our business model and thereafter we hope to be
01:00able to modify the facility so to cater for floating wind assembly so we hope the key will be operational
01:05from early 2028 and certainly we're looking forward to accommodating our 2028 cruise season at this
01:11facility graham are obviously a tier one maritime contractor and delivering these projects throughout
01:18the uk and ireland but we're delighted to have one so local and so it gives an opportunity for a lot
01:23of our key personnel that have traveled far afield to be back at home and building and using their
01:28experience that we've gained throughout the uk to deliver this project successfully safely with a
01:34really good quality and on time for a really good quality and on time for belfast harbour
01:46you