Double dry dock facilities popular in Scotland

There were 54 berthings altogether for the Aberdeen and Leith facilities in 2010 and there are more than half as many are already booked for 2011.

The 112m x 21m x 6.5m dock in Aberdeen handled 40 vessels before the end of 2010, and there were 14 ships into the 168m x 21.3m x 7.7m facility at Leith since operations began there in late March following a major refurbishment of Imperial Dock by Dales Marine.

Other projects at the facilities have included work on ships servicing the offshore oil and gas industry, tugs, ferries, and a caisson lock gate which underwent refurbishment at Leith over a six week period.

There are currently 17 vessels lined up for the Aberdeen dock in 2011 and 12 for Leith, where 10 of those ships will be berthed two at a time, maximising the facility’s capacity.

Dales Marine director and general manager Michael Milne said, ‘The additional capability at Leith, including the capacity to handle two vessels simultaneously, is proving a valuable asset in its own right and in complementing our Aberdeen operations, with the Imperial Dock making an important contribution to the activity.

‘The combination gives us considerable scope, not only in servicing current customers, but also in continuing to develop new markets and the variety and size of vessels berthed. Along with bookings taken for the two facilities for next year, this makes for a very positive outlook.’

Dales Marine also undertakes projects alongside quays at Aberdeen, Leith and other ports, including Montrose, where it has a workshop to support projects.