Marine construction firm Leask Marine Limited has been awarded a £140,000 contract to remove two berthing dolphins which were part of the infrastructure used to support the ferry service from Kyle of Lochalsh to Kyleakin. The dolphins have been out of use since the ferry service stopped when the Skye Bridge opened in 1995.

Leask Marine will set up a construction site at the harbour on July 10 and 11, with work due to start on July 12 for three weeks.

Engineers will operate from a barge to dismantle and remove all parts of the dolphins, including fenders, bollards, timber deck, handrails and ladders. Expert divers will then use an airlift device, or suction dredge, to remove seabed materials around each structure to two metres below seabed before piles are extracted using a crane on the barge. The seabed will be reinstated and all materials will be disposed responsibly.

Brian Sydney, senior civil engineer at CMAL, said: “The infrastructure has been out of operation for years now and the best course of action is to remove it. The local community has voiced some concerns about its condition, so they will welcome this work.

“Our contractor will be working mainly offshore from a marine barge, so local people and businesses won’t experience any disruption. In addition, Leask Marine will be working to strict COVID-19 protocols to protect the safety of employees and the local community.”