Since the Royal Navy’s departure Portland Port has undergone vast development with more work to follow over the coming years.

There are currently some 25 businesses located on the Port Estate, most of them marine related, jointly employing in excess of 600 people and each making their own particular contribution to the comprehensive range of services the port offers to ship owners.

For the last two years work has been proceeding on a major re-development plan for the port and an application has been made to the Department of Transport for a Harbour Revision Order.

The plan will involve reclaiming some 35 acres from the seabed to provide close to 700m of deep water berths capable of handling even larger ships.

In addition, extensive demolition of many older buildings on the Port Estate is already underway and it is hoped that construction of berths plus the terminal building refurbishment will begin later this year with work being phased over the next 30 years.

The development of a new underground gas storage facility by Portland Gas Ltd is also currently being considered by the county council and the Department for Transport.

Increasing marine traffic is vital. In particular the port is striving to increase numbers of cruise ship calls and they already expect additional calls in 2008/2009 from vessels operated by two major cruise lines.