Maraen Port of Nigg is recruiting up to 180 skilled offshore wind workers after the Dogger Bank wind farm’s turbine marshalling operation was moved to the Cromarty Firth from north-east England.
The work had been run out of Able Seaton Port in Hartlepool, which handled the first phase of Dogger Bank and the start of the second. GE Vernova, the turbine supplier, picked Nigg in May for the B and C phases, and the jobs figure was confirmed on 12 August during a visit to the port by Scottish Government energy minister Stephen Gethins.
The roles cover mechanical and electrical technicians, port operators and project managers, working on pre-assembly of GE Vernova’s Haliade-X turbines — 13MW machines for Dogger Bank B and 14MW for C — before they are loaded onto installation vessels. SSE says recruitment has been running for some months and that the positions are expected to last until the wind farm is finished, currently expected in mid-2028.
“The creation of up to 180 new jobs at Maraen Port of Nigg demonstrates how Dogger Bank Wind Farm continues to deliver real economic benefits for Scotland and the wider UK,” said SSE Renewables’ offshore wind director, Steve Wilson.
Yoshihiro Hayakawa, chief executive and managing director at Maraen, said the work built on the port’s experience supporting SSE’s Beatrice and Seagreen wind farms and “reflects the infrastructure, capabilities and experienced teams we have developed at Nigg to support large-scale offshore wind projects safely and efficiently”.
Dogger Bank, off the Yorkshire coast, is a £9bn joint venture between SSE and Equinor with 40% each and Vårgrønn on 20%, built in three 1.2GW phases totalling 277 turbines. Phase A is finished, turbines are going in at B, and offshore installation at C starts next year. SSE cites an independent economic impact assessment published last year that put the project’s lifetime contribution to the UK economy at £6.1bn.
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For Nigg the announcement continues a run of activity. The port was bought in 2025 by Mitsui & Co and Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, renamed Maraen Port of Nigg in March this year, and holds Green Freeport tax and customs site status. In May it awarded McLaughlin & Harvey a contract for a new heavy-duty quay on the eastern side of the inner dock, adding roll-on roll-off capability and 16,000 square metres of deep-water quayside intended partly for loading cable made at the neighbouring Sumitomo Electric factory.
Gethins said Scotland’s ports were “exceptionally well placed to support the energy transition and the growth of offshore wind”, and that Nigg was “boosting regional economic opportunity and supporting supply chain businesses”.
