The port authority says it has handled over 150 complete wind turbines units in the last five years.

The Invergordon service base has been a hub for inspection, repair and maintenance (IRM) of oil rigs and subsea engineering, with key tenants such as RBG and Global Energy.

However, the growth of the marine renewable industry has seen the Cromarty Firth take on a new lease of life in recent years and CFPA has invested heavily in its facilities to reflect this.

The majority of CFPA’s work has involved the storage and shipping of wind turbines ranging from 1-2 MW units at the service base, but it has also been involved in providing full assembly and installation support to the two 5 MW Beatrice test wind turbines.

Furthermore, Aquamarine’s test Oyster wave energy converters were fabricated on the banks of the Firth.

Captain Ken Gray, chief executive at CFPA said: “We are well established in the inshore wind sector but for offshore wind we have the advantage of deep sheltered waters suitable for large vessels.

“We intend to build on our experience and the excellent track record we have achieved in oil and gas engineering and logistics to support the developing offshore renewable industry both in the installation and future long term maintenance phases.”