CalMac Ferries is poised to strike a £700K deal to take control of troubled Perth harbour, The Courier can reveal.
The once-thriving port was left facing an uncertain future after a dramatic downturn in visiting vessels.
Perth and Kinross Council, which owns the facility, hope that CalMac Ferries will be able to reverse its fortunes.
However, a planned £870,000 dredging operation — which some say is crucial to the harbour’s future — now faces opposition from energy giants Shell and Ineos.
Both companies say the work, aimed at unlocking the port to larger vessels, could put ships at risk of grounding.
The companies argue that they have an agreement with the Crown Estates to prevent any dredging at Perth.
Councillors will this week be asked to accept an offer from preferred bidder CalMac Ferries. The company is expected to take over the harbourmaster’s responsibilities for at least five years and will be tasked with developing new commercial opportunities.
A joint report by interim head of economic development Tom Flanagan and investment manager Serge Merone states the harbour — which has debts of more than £1.2 million — is making a net loss of nearly £230,000.
A 2016 business plan for the port proposed that nearly £1 million of investment was needed — including dredging — to make the harbour break even by 2021.
However, experts warned that if the business plan wasn’t revised, the harbour would be unlikely to recover its costs before 2034, if at all.
The report states: “CalMac Ferries Ltd has a proven track record in the provision of harbour, port, marine and ferry services across Scotland and the UK and currently operate out of more than 50 ports.
“CalMac will utilise the full extend of its existing marketing, commercial and business expertise to identify key areas for development and expansion to maximum benefit to the operation.”
The council said it will postpone making a decision on dredging until a Marine Scotland licence is in place and a contract for the work has been put out to tender.
Both Shell and Ineos argued that removing soil from the top of their pipelines could increase risk of grounding for larger vessels.
The companies say a Crown Estates agreement forbids any dredging work.
The local authority intends to fire back a “robust response” highlighting that the council was granted a dredging licence in the past, and that the pipelines were installed on the understanding that it would not limit the commercial use of the River Tay.
