IN Brief:
- The £107 million Port Ellen redevelopment combines harbour works, landside expansion, and a new terminal building in one long-horizon package.
- The scope includes land reclamation, a new ferry berth, dredging, fendering, bollards, linkspan works, and shore power infrastructure.
- Construction starts in June and is due to complete in 2029, aligning the port with higher ferry capacity and broader harbour use.
Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited has appointed McLaughlin & Harvey to deliver the construction phase of the Port Ellen Ferry Terminal redevelopment, a £107 million package that will reshape both the harbour edge and the landside operation at one of Islay’s main transport links.
The scheme combines marine works with a wider reconfiguration of vehicle handling and passenger facilities. Significant land reclamation will create larger marshalling and laydown areas for cars and commercial traffic, while revised internal routes are intended to improve traffic management through the port.
On the waterside, the project includes a new dedicated ferry berth sized for both the incoming Islay-class vessels and the current fleet. The berth package brings together dredging, fendering, bollards, a new linkspan, and a fixed ramp, while shore power infrastructure is also included as part of the redevelopment.
The landside works are equally substantial. The scope includes a larger terminal building, upgraded lighting, CCTV, fencing, electric vehicle charging bays, and cycle facilities. Beyond the ferry operation itself, the harbour will also gain a longer fishing berth and a commercial quay extended to around four times the length of the existing structure, with segregated offloading areas intended to improve operational safety and handling flexibility.
The delivery programme is being sequenced around island activity as well as construction logistics. Site works are due to begin in June, after the end of Fèis Ìle, with completion targeted for 2029. That gives the contractor a multi-year delivery window on a constrained island site where marine access, traffic management, festival timings, and ferry continuity all sit alongside the core build programme.
The redevelopment is tied to a wider programme of ferry and harbour investment serving Islay. Two new vessels are due to add capacity on the route, and the Port Ellen works are intended to ensure the harbour can absorb higher passenger numbers, more cars, and greater commercial traffic without relying on infrastructure designed for a smaller operating model. The result is a port modernisation scheme in which civils, building works, transport planning, and operational resilience are being delivered as one integrated project.
