Change of procurement plan puts Portland Port expansion on track

Alternative procurement has allowed a major investment in Portland Port to match the budget and put work on track to meet a demanding completion deadline.

Images of numerous cruise ships moored off the Dorset coast were published around the world during the pandemic. Now, multiple cruise ships look set to become a more regular sight at Portland, Dorset.

Portland Port is investing £25M in a new deep water berth (DWB) so that it can simultaneously accommodate two 350m long cruise ships. Knights Brown is the managing contractor charged with bringing the work in on time and budget.

With 58 cruise ships currently expected to dock there in 2023 and the first two of the larger ships both due to arrive in early May 2023, the pressure is on for Knights Brown and the team of contractors currently working on the DWB.

Construction is underway, but Portland Port had to look to a bespoke procurement approach, directly awarding packages of work so that it can manage the design and construction risks and bring the work in on time and on budget.

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