Dales Marine Services has completed critical maintenance work on one of the Port of Leith’s caisson gates, responsible for controlling water access into the harbour and ensuring vessel safely whilst in dock.
The specialist in dry dock and ship repair, fabrication and conversion was hired for the project, which involved manoeuvring the gate, one of three at the Port of Leith and a vital part of its lock system, into Dales Marine Services’ Leith dry dock for a comprehensive refurbishment.
Caisson gates are large, rectangular structures that, once a dock is flooded, float and are pulled into position before having their ballast tanks filled with water. This causes them to settle onto underwater rails, which they move along during opening and closing. Part of the system that keeps the water level constant at the Port of Leith, they create a watertight barrier that protects moored vessels from the rise and fall of the tide.
Each of the Port of Leith’s caisson gates are taken in for maintenance approximately every eight years to ensure they are in proper working order, marking an important investment from Forth Ports to maintain safe and reliable port operations for vessels moving in and out of the busy port.
Refurbishment work saw the Dales Marine Services team replace all the timber on the gate and renew wheel assemblies on two bogie systems, which allow the gate to manoeuvre on fixed rails. The company's specialists also carried out steel repairs and restored key valves to ensure the gate continues to operate effectively for years to come.
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.”
Located less than three miles from Edinburgh city centre, the Port of Leith, which is owned and operated by Forth Ports Limited, 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.”
While the gate was in dry dock in Leith, Dales Marine's team also carried out three back-to-back drydock projects on various tug vessels, demonstrating the company's ability to manage complex marine engineering projects while supporting the continued operation of one of Scotland's busiest ports.
Dales Marine Services is a leading UK ship repair and maintenance company operating from facilities in Aberdeen, Leith, Greenock and Troon and servicing the maritime, oil and gas, offshore renewables, aquaculture, commercial, defence, chemicals and power generation industries.