First major contract for Kishorn Port in west Highlands

Kishorn has the deep water facilities needed for the 60,800-tonne rig Ocean GreatWhite

A west Highlands yard has secured its first major oil and gas industry contract in more than 40 years.

Kishorn was used in the 1970s for the construction of the Ninian Central oil production platform.

Weighing more than 600,000 tonnes, the platform was the world's largest floating concrete structure.

Now Kishorn is preparing for the arrival of the world's biggest semi-submersible offshore drilling rig, Ocean GreatWhite, for service work.

The 60,800-tonne rig requires deep water for anchoring.

It will arrive at Kishorn, which was recently revamped, early next year after being towed from Singapore via Las Palmas in the Canaries.

The Ocean GreatWhite is to be serviced before being moved to the North Sea

Following the servicing work, the rig will be put to use in a drilling contract in the North Sea.

Alasdair Ferguson, a director of Kishorn Port Ltd, visited the rig while it was in Las Palmas.

He said: "I couldn't fail to be impressed by the sheer scale of the Ocean GreatWhite.

"We hope that the berthing and support to the rig at Kishorn will herald a new era of engagement in the oil and gas industry at Kishorn."

The facilities at Kishorn were originally developed to meet needs from North Sea oil and gas industry

Kishorn was built to help with the construction of the North Sea oil and gas industry's Ninian Central Platform in the 1970s.

During the casting of massive concrete structures for the platform, more than 3,000 workers were accommodated at the site.

It was also used for the making of supports for the Skye Bridge. These were moved out of Kishorn to Skye in 1994.