Interim works to protect the remaining section of the collapsed wall at Arbroath Harbour have been completed successfully.
Work will now start on permanent repairs in the next few months.
The collapse at the strategically important section of the facility, which protects the channel into outer harbour, occurred a month ago, and was reported by fishermen arriving for work.
An initial inspection of the collapse revealed around one third of the wall, known as the Ballast Quay, had fallen into the sea.
Council officers moved quickly after tidal movement continued to wash out the fill material behind the collapsed wall, which then extended the damaged section to almost half way across the width of the quay.
In a two-week operation, rock armour, which is designed to protect the damaged section of the wall from further tidal erosion was put in place.
A spokesperson for Angus Council said: “The works to protect the Ballast Quay have been completed successfully.
“These will give time to undertake further inspections and assessments and to develop the design of the permanent solution.
“Once established the construction works will be procured and commence early in financial year 2019/20.”
One harbour insider said: “This is one of the oldest remaining parts of the harbour, but it had not been clad in the same way that other sections have been in recent times.
“There are a number of ways that repairs could be affected, but I think that in reality, costs will be a major factor in determining how this is done.”
A combination of poor maintenance and dredging operations being conducted too close to the historic wall were blamed for the collapse by one harbour user, who claimed repairs which had previously been done annually had not been completed in recent years.
Council leader David Fairweather said: “I would like to thank council officers and harbour staff for dealing with this situation so quickly.
“I have little doubt that the prompt placement of the rock armour at the site will have made a significant contribution to ensuring that the wall did not continue to deteriorate.
“Despite this incident, the harbour remains fully functional, and I am confident that a permanent solution will be found and procured in the near future.”
