CFPA renews itself with offshore wind

For many years the Invergordon service base has been recognised as a hub for its Inspection, Repair and Maintenance (IRM) of oil rigs and subsea engineering, with key tenants such as RBG and Global Energy. However, the growth of the marine renewable industry has seen the Cromarty Firth take on a new lease of life in recent years and CFPA has invested heavily in its facilities to reflect its new position.

The majority of CFPA’s work has involved the storage and shipping of wind turbines ranging from 1MW to 2MW units at the service base. However, it has also been involved in providing full assembly and installation support to the two 5 MW Beatrice test wind turbines, and Aquamarine’s test Oyster wave energy converters were fabricated on the banks of the Firth.

Captain Ken Gray, chief executive at CFPA said, ‘We are well established in the inshore wind sector but for offshore wind we have the advantage of deep sheltered waters suitable for large vessels. We intend to build on our experience and the excellent track record we have achieved in oil and gas engineering and logistics to support the developing offshore renewable industry both in the installation and future long term maintenance phases.’

CFPA is constituted as a Trust Port and regulated by the Scottish Government. It is an independent statutory body operating under the Cromarty Firth Port Authority Order Confirmation Act 1973 (as amended). Under the Act, the Port Authority is responsible for overall control and management of seaborne traffic in the Cromarty Firth and its approaches as well as for the general conservation of the Port and its development as part of the infrastructure of the regional economy. In addition CFPA shares with the community and the specialist agencies a specific responsibility for the natural environment of the Firth.