An industrial park is being planned as part of a new wave of expansion at Scrabster Harbour to capitalise on a clutch of exciting new opportunities coming on stream.

Scrabster Harbour Trust and Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) are working together to realise the ambitious plans for further expansion of the Caithness port. HIE views the port as one of the linchpins of the current major push to diversify the far north economy and replace the hundreds of jobs being shed as Dounreay winds down.

In addition to being regarded as a high growth potential business, due to the major spin offs arising from the harbour authority's development blueprint, the port is viewed as a transformational project.

Chairman of Scrabster Harbour Trust, William Calder commented: "I am delighted that the importance and potential of Scrabster has been recognised by HIE. I hope that by working closely with HIE, our port expansion plans will be realised.

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"The Trust has worked very hard over the past year to progress and refine our development programme, including commissioning an economic impact study of the port for the first time.

"The findings confirmed the harbour's important role in the North Highland economy. Given the scale of the port's impact, it is important that it continues to expand and improve its infrastructure and facilities to diversity traffic and attract new business opportunities."

Local HIE head of operations Sandra McCaughey believes the Trust is well-equipped to realise its vision.

"The Trust has been very forward-looking and has developed plans which will allow it both to move into new markets as well as look after its existing customers."

Scrabster Harbour Trust has previously announced plans to modernise the existing oil tanker berth and to build a new deepwater quay. It has now revealed an intention to lay out an industrial park on 30 acres of ground it has bought from Scrabster Farm. It is now seeking to exploit its proximity to the oil and gas fields in the Atlantic Frontier and to the Pentland Firth, which is being targeted as a major centre for marine power development.

Scrabster is being geared up to become the supply base of choice for the companies working in these areas.

(GK/JM)