The proposed six years of works also include the complete rebuilding of South Railway and Fountain Lake jetties. Quaysides will require strengthening, dredged depths increased alongside, and a range of new facilities provided, including power, communications, waste disposal and maintenance. The Port's Basin No. 3 will need work to allow larger ships to pass en route to maintenance works in dry dock and a constant anchorage will be created in Stokes Bay.

The proposals represent the biggest dredging and marine construction works at Portsmouth since the second world war and are necessitated by the sheer size of new warships to be built.

The British Royal Navy's two new 70,000 tonne aircraft carriers will be more than triple the size of current ships and the Type 45 Destroyers currently under build are twice the size of the present generation now based in Portsmouth.

The project, which could begin as early as 2005, would provide significant volumes of work for companies involved in the dredging, marine construction, support services and other related sectors.

MJ Information No: 18409