Building Briefs – August 2nd

• £3m boost for Scrabster harbour project

The funding will enable the redevelopment of the existing St. Ola pier to create further deep-water infrastructure and meet anticipated demand from cruise ships and offshore energy supply vessels. It will place the port in an ideal position to service activity in the West of Shetland basin.

A new piled quay wall and pier deck will be installed to expand the existing pier. Both the inner and outer side of the pier will be dredged to create water depth of no less than 9m. And a reclamation area with revetment at the root of the pier will provide storage for cargo handling.

Cruise ships of up to 250 metres and supply vessels up to 170 metres will be able to use the upgraded pier.

On completion, the £17m project is expected to increase vessel tonnage and port revenues by 18% and support an additional 28 jobs.

It forms the second part of a wider harbour master plan of phased development by Scrabster Harbour Trust (SHT). Phase one saw the £17.6m redevelopment of the old fish market pier to create a modern multi-purpose quay facility renamed the Jubilee Quay, which opened in 2013.

• New BESA board members elected

The Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) has announced that Claire Curran and Bob Lane have been elected to the BESA Board.

Claire Curran, managing director of Linaker Ltd, the company that specialises in the creation and maintenance of tailor-made business environments, has 25 years of experience in the building services industry.

Bob Lane of Roperhurst Ltd, a plastic fabrication and environmental engineering specialist based in South Wales, has worked at Roperhurst for 41 years and has progressed from the shop floor to managing director. He has been an active BESA member on a regional and national level for 20 years. Highlights include tenure as a regional chair, eight years on the BESA council, two years on the BESA board and participation on multiple specialty groups.

• Vent Hygiene CRO cards set to close

SKILLcard has announced that the CRO cards for Vent Hygiene Specialist, Ductwork Cleaning Specialist and Kitchen Grease Extract Operative will close on November 1.

This is the 3rd wave of CRO closures as part of its plan to deliver the Construction Leadership Council’s (CLC) 2025 vision. All card schemes carrying the CSCS logo including SKILLcard, must only certify those occupations with nationally recognised construction related qualifications, i.e. NVQs or approved equivalents.

The project, expected to take a number of years to complete, will manage the phase-out of CRO cards and support those affected by identifying paths to an agreed industry qualification for that occupation in order to obtain a skilled worker SKILLcard.