More work needed on Grutness pier
REMEDIAL work which could take around six to eight weeks to complete has started at the upgraded Grutness ferry terminal in Shetland’s South Mainland.
Although the upgrade at Grutness is contractually complete, remedial work is required on the new rock armour breakwater to “achieve the specified quality standard”.
A briefing sent to elected members said this work got underway last week, with sections of the rock armour breakwater needing to be rebuilt.
The main work on the Grutness pier got underway last year as part of the Fair Isle ferry replacement project, with BAM Nuttall the principal contractor.
This included extending the pier and breakwater to accommodate a new Fair Isle ferry, which is expected to be delivered later this year.
Work is also taking part at the harbour in Fair Isle as part of the £45.4 million project, with Bam Nuttall undertaking the job.
The briefing note to elected members said in contractual terms the construction work at Grutness is complete, with the existing Fair Isle ferry Good Shepherd able to use the facilities.
In May council engineers and officers undertook inspections of the completed work to identify if there was anything needing to be rectified prior to final acceptance.
The briefing note, from project manager Lee Coutts, said this is “standard practice” across engineering and construction contracts.
Having previously been highlighted to the contractor, the need for remedial works to the rock armour breakwater was identified.
Inspections confirmed there were voids between armour units, while areas were noted where further interlocking of armour units was required.
Sections where the finished slope profile required adjustment were also identified.
However, the briefing highlighted: “It should be noted that installation of the rock armour was undertaken during the winter construction period in challenging marine conditions.
“While this is not uncommon for projects of this nature, subsequent quality assurance inspections identified a number of areas where further adjustment is required to achieve the specified finished profile and construction tolerances.”
Since the inspections the main contractor has undertaken surveys to understand the extent of the remedial works required.
The briefing note said the council’s consultant engineers are “satisfied that the core layers of the rock armour breakwater meet the quality standards and specification within the contract”.
“They have confirmed that there are no immediate safety concerns and no risk to the integrity or operation of the wider pier structure,” it added.
The note said at present there is no anticipated impact on overall “project outcomes or operational readiness”.
During the remedial works the Fair Isle ferry service will continue to operate from Grutness.
There is no additional cost to the council associated with these works given that they are being addressed by the contractor in line with contractual obligations.
However the council will incur additional costs to cover its consultant engineer site attendance and supervision of the remedial work.
Councillors were told in May that the timeline for the delivery for the new ferry, which is being constructed in England, had slipped slightly from October to November.
This is also when Fair Isle infrastructure works are expected to be completed, following weather delays.
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