Aberdeen Harbour Board (AHB) has put a £15m contract out to tender for “the completion of works” for its expansion project.

Details on the Public Contracts Scotland website show the port is seeking a contractor with the “ability to mobilise and commence works quickly”.

Spanish-owned construction and infrastructure firm Dragados UK has been working to a revised timetable on the transformational development after technical challenges pushed the expected completion date out to 2021.

Fears have been raised on social media about the company’s future involvement in the project.

However, AHB said it remained “fully committed” to the development and is currently in talks with Dragados UK about the best way forward.

A statement explained: “Like many construction projects across the country, we are looking at how we proceed once work can restart.

“As part of our response to the current situation, and to mitigate against the impact of COVID-19, we are now in talks with our current principal contractor for the construction of South Harbour, Dragados UK, about the best way forward and we are considering all possible courses of action.”

The project at Nigg would allow cruise ships to berth alongside the dock, eliminating the need to ferry passengers ashore by small boat.

Work on what is the largest marine construction project currently under way in the UK was originally estimated to end in August 2020, but had fallen a year behind schedule due to “technical challenges”.

The new four-month contract is for “works that are required to complete specific elements” of the project.

AHB also wants to “prevent coastal erosion impacting on local infrastructure and loss of partially constructed works and associated potential impact on the marine environment”.