The government of the Falkland Islands (FIG) has chosen BAM Nuttall, the UK subsidiary of Dutch contractor BAM, to design and build a port in Stanley Harbour.Â
Barry Rowland, FIG chief executive, said the port would boost the islands’ economic growth.
"As is well known, the existing facility is fast approaching the end of its life," he said. "Today’s exciting news is the first step in designing a new facility that can handle both our current needs, and our projected future demands."
The islands put out its tender in June last year for a facility that could handle containerised and breakbulk cargo, fishing industry transhipments, the berthing of expedition and cruise vessels as well as fuel tankers and ferries.
Bidders were asked to propose the most suitable location for a port.
BAM’s choice will be in the vicinity of the current port, and will support the fishing, tourism and shipping sectors.
The contract, which is due to be signed next month, will split the project into three stages.
The first will include consultations, surveys, a demand study and the concept design. The government’s executive council will then review plans for detailed design stage and approve the costs and activity schedule.
The second stage will cover detailed design, and the third will be the construction of the port. Activities at the existing port will be transferred during this process, in order to ensure the port remains operational at all times. The project will conclude with the decommissioning and removal of the existing port.
A public meeting is planned for when the BAM team arrives in the Islands to give islanders an overview of the project, outline timescales, and the initial design proposals.
Further details of this meeting, and stakeholder sessions, will be made available in the coming month.Â
Image: Port Stanley seen from the air in 2013 (CC BY-SA 3.0)Â Â
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