The offshore construction phase of Inch Cape is drawing support from nine UK ports, with each location contributing to vessel operations, storage, marine services and related supply chain activity. At the center of the work is the Port of Leith in Edinburgh, where marshaling and completion are underway for monopiles, jacket foundations, transition pieces, and pin piles. The project’s 83 m jackets have also become a visible feature of the city’s waterfront.

Heavy lift vessels Les Alizés and Seaway Alfa Lift are transporting foundation components from Leith to the offshore site. Peak activity at the port is set to create more than 100 jobs. Following the award of the Inch Cape contract, Forth Ports invested £50 million in marine access, infrastructure, plant and equipment at Leith. The group’s Port of Dundee will also support the project, with 72 turbines to be marshaled from a laydown area expanded to almost 190,000 m².

The Port of Montrose is serving as the base for offshore construction management, daily crew transfer vessel departures, and the marine coordination center. It is also the site of Inch Cape’s £6.5 million operations and maintenance base, now under construction by Pert Bruce. The project is expected to create at least 50 long-term skilled jobs in the area.

Elsewhere, the Port of Blyth is the mobilization port for both export cables, supporting CMOS Installer and North Sea Giant. In the Cromarty Firth, Seaway Alfa Lift is being mobilized for the installation of 54 transition pieces, 18 jacket foundations, and 54 pin piles, while Seaway Eagle is delivering the pile installation frame. Ardersier, Aberdeen, Rosyth and Burntisland are also supporting the project through maintenance, logistics and pre-construction vessel activity.