Fresh investment in Stornoway's deep-water port

The Scottish government is investing £1.8m to help develop additional deep-water port facilities in Stornoway in Lewis.

The funding from its agency Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) will help meet the cost of ground investigation and design work for the proposed new berth.

The new Deep Water South development - led by Stornoway Port - would be able to accommodate a range of floating offshore wind vessels on a year round basis.

There would also be storage space to support large-scale construction projects.

Stornoway Port is providing the remaining £463,917 for the scheme and a contract has been awarded to McLaughlin & Harvey.

An earlier phase of upgrade work at Stornoway Port was completed in 2024 at a cost of £49m.

Large cruise liners can now moor there which has brought a boost to the local economy.

The planned new berth would mean that large ships working on renewable energy projects could use the port at the same time as cruise liners.

Renewable energy company Magnora has pledged to use Stornoway Port as a construction and operations base for its planned Talisk floating wind farm project off the north of Lewis.

Climate Action and Energy Secretary Gillian Martin said the port's location, skills and infrastructure made it vital to the growing offshore wind industry.

She said it could deliver "enormous economic opportunities".

Alex Macleod, chief executive of Stornoway Port, described the plans as a "hugely significant" step forward for Stornoway and the Western Isles.

He said: "Deep Water South is about unlocking the next phase of opportunity, supporting offshore wind, strengthening renewable energy infrastructure and ensuring Stornoway is ready to play a leading role in Scotland's energy transition."