Port of Dover appoints contractors for long-term infrastructure upgrade programme

The Port of Dover has appointed 14 contractors to a series of multi-year frameworks covering civil engineering, marine and infrastructure works as part of a long-term investment programme at the UK’s busiest ferry port.

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The new frameworks will support projects including berth upgrades, highways improvements, utilities works, structural repairs and wider estate modernisation linked to the port’s “Port of Dover 2050” strategy.

Under the arrangements, a six-year major projects framework running until 2032 will oversee schemes valued above £3m, while a separate four-year framework to 2030 will manage smaller projects below that threshold.

Companies appointed across the frameworks include FM Conway, Jackson Civil Engineering, Knights Brown, Mitie and UK Power Networks Services, all of which secured positions on both major and minor works contracts. Other selected firms include Costain, Blu-3, McLaughlin & Harvey, Concrete Repairs, Associated Asphalt Contracting, CPE Projects, M Group Transport, REDEC Refurbishment and Walker Construction.

The Port of Dover 2050 strategy is a long-term masterplan setting out how the port aims to transform itself into the UK’s “most seamless, sustainable and digitally enabled maritime gateway” over the coming decades. It focuses on modernising ferry, cargo and cruise operations through major infrastructure investment across the Eastern and Western Docks, improving the flow of trade and passengers, and strengthening the port’s role as a key UK-EU trade link.

The plan also prioritises decarbonisation and climate resilience, including progress toward net zero operations, alongside the use of digital technology to reduce congestion, improve efficiency and support real-time management of freight and passenger movements, while aligning port development with wider economic growth and regeneration in Dover and the surrounding region.

The Port of Dover handles around one-third of UK-EU trade in goods and remains one of the country’s most strategically important transport gateways. It said the frameworks would provide access to specialist expertise across marine engineering, highways, utilities and building infrastructure as the harbour authority moves from strategic planning into delivery phases of its long-term redevelopment programme.