THE Port of Cromarty Firth has been licensed to undertake oil and gas decommissioning work, boosting efforts to bring jobs to the Highlands.

The port has become the first in Scotland to be granted decommissioning permits under the latest environmental legislation, the Pollution Prevention Control Regulations 2013.

Covering the Invergordon Service Base, the permits allow for 50,000 tonnes of waste material to be processed per year.

General manager Calum Slater said the port is now ready to start decommissioning work. “We have the licences, capacity, experience and infrastructure, combined with a strategic location in the North Sea, and we are currently in talks with a number of companies about bringing this work to the Highlands,” he said.

“Most other ports are aligning with a single contractor, but we’re doing the opposite to provide customers with more flexibility and choice.

“The Port will work with these different companies to ensure that all decommissioning activities... are carried out to the highest environmental standards.”