The contracts have been awarded to Van Oord, the global maritime contractor which specialises in dredging, marine engineering, and offshore projects. The contract awards will see the completion of profile work for the harbour basin and add protection to sections of the shore in time for the coming winter.

Part of the work will be carried out using the Goliath backhoe dredger, which is the world’s largest backhoe dredger. The Goliath has worked on large-scale port expansion projects around the world.

Michelle Handforth, chief executive of Aberdeen Harbour Board, said: “We are pleased to announce the award of these contracts to Van Oord, which has been heavily involved in the South Harbour expansion project for several years.

“As the most ambitious development for driving future trade and the largest marine infrastructure project underway in the UK, our Harbour expansion will ensure Aberdeen is a major hub for the maritime and energy economies of Scotland and the UK. Aberdeen Harbour will open significant opportunities for the region, in both new and existing international markets.

“Work on site has made considerable progress despite the challenges faced by the COVID-19 pandemic, with 70% of construction work completed. It is an amazing sight to see one of the world’s largest dredgers working on our project, and I am looking forward to seeing the rest of the Harbour quickly taking shape.”

Joost van Duinen, project manager for Van Oord, added: “The expansion of Aberdeen Harbour is a significant project for Scotland, and we are proud to continue our involvement, having been part of the project since 2017. We look forward to working towards the completion of the expansion, utilising our world-class equipment, international experience and marine ingenuity.”

Since Spanish-owned Dragados UK withdrew from the £350m harbour expansion project in June, Aberdeen Harbour Board has awarded engineering firm Ashleigh Contracts a £1.6m contract to complete the north breakwater of the new south harbour and a range of contracts to the value of approximately £4.3m for the transfer of the remaining caissons – the 50m-long blocks that will form the North ‘Castlegate’ Quay and East ‘Dunnottar’ Quays – from their current storage location in the Cromarty Firth, through to their placement within the new harbour.