The cost of replacing one of the quays alone would be £3.3m.

iicorr was contracted by Currie Brothers Ltd on behalf of Orkney Islands Council to provide a turnkey solution to the corrosion problems encountered on the new section of Longhope Pier, Isle of Hoy, Orkney.

Although relatively new, the pier was already experiencing signs of ALWC, and in order to eradicate this a Cathodic Protection (CP) system was designed for the pier. The system was installed over a period of seven days, causing no disruption to marine traffic.

Roddy James, Operations Director, said he believed ALWC occurs in 90 per cent of UK ports and it is unlikely that a new quay without a corrosion protection system would last beyond 20 years, such are the high corrosion rates that occur.

"The good news is that only certain areas provide the right environment for the bacteria and these areas can be identified and treated by iicorr, keeping the entire asset safe while minimising costs, " claimed Mr James, noting that owners are facing significant unplanned failures and expenditure if radical inspection and maintenance plans are not adopted to identify and treat high risk areas.

Although relatively new, Longhope pier was showing signs of corrosion, so a Cathodic Protection (CP) system was designed and installed.