Dales Marine Services has completed a comprehensive refurbishment of one of the Port of Leith’s three caisson gates. The gates control water access into the harbour and keep vessels safe while they are in dock.
The ship repair and fabrication specialist moved the gate into its Leith dry dock for the work. The gate is a vital part of the port’s lock system.
Caisson gates are large rectangular structures. Once a dock is flooded, they float and are pulled into position, and their ballast tanks are then filled with water so they settle onto underwater rails, along which they move when opening and closing. The gates help keep the water level constant at Leith and form a watertight barrier protecting moored vessels from the rise and fall of the tide.
Each of the port’s caisson gates is taken in for maintenance about every eight years, as part of an investment by Forth Ports in safe and reliable operations at the port.
The Dales Marine team replaced all the timber on the gate and renewed the wheel assemblies on two bogie systems, which allow the gate to move along fixed rails. It also carried out steel repairs and restored key valves.
Phil McFadyen, operations manager at Dales Marine Services’ Leith shipyard, said: “Carrying out maintenance work on one of the Port of Leith’s three caisson gates is an important step in ensuring the hub’s continued safe operation. Because the port is locked and non-tidal, the gate is what allows vessels to enter and leave and, if it were to fail, that access would be lost. Work like this represents a significant investment from the port, and our team were proud to have delivered the project safely and on schedule.”
The Port of Leith, which is owned and operated by Forth Ports Limited, lies less than three miles from Edinburgh city centre. It combines deep-water riverside access with large-scale infrastructure and extensive development land to support energy, logistics and industrial activity.
Chris Monteith, asset manager for the Port of Leith, said: “The Port of Leith is one of Scotland’s busiest ports and it is vital that we ensure that our infrastructure is operating safely and efficiently at all times. We invest significantly in our maintenance programme in Leith and it is essential that the gates are well looked after. We have a long relationship with the Dales Marine team in Leith and it is great to work with them on this important refurbishment work on our critical infrastructure.”
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While the gate was in dry dock, Dales Marine also carried out three back-to-back dry-dock projects on tug vessels.
Dales Marine Services operates facilities in Aberdeen, Leith, Greenock and Troon, serving industries including maritime, oil and gas, offshore renewables, aquaculture, defence and power generation.
