THE commercial port in Portsmouth has unveiled multi-million pound plans to boost facilities for modern cruise ferries and fast craft.

Port manager Martin Putman said: "The decision to proceed with the £7m project reflects Portsmouth City Council's commitment to the future development of the port as a key gateway between the UK and the continent, providing a first-class facility for port users."

The project includes a new linkspan which will be 50 per cent bigger than the largest linkspan currently in operation at the port.

The fully self-contained floating structure will offer a greater degree of flexibility with the ability to change its freeboard from minimum to maximum in less than 15 minutes. This will provide greater headroom between the decks and a top deck that can move independently from the lower deck. These features will allow the linkspan to accept a wide variety of ships and cargoes.

Phase one of the project to supply a lower deck linkspan has already gone out to tender and Mr Putman estimates that phases two and three to supply an upper deck and the steel viaduct will follow shortly. Timing of the engineering works is crucial to the project and is scheduled to coincide with the winter period. Putman says that work will begin this October with a completion date in March 2003.

The 700-tonne lower deck linkspan is due for completion by the end of January next year and it will be capable of carrying three lanes of heavy goods vehicles simultaneously, 180-tonne abnormal vehicle, or double-stacked MAFI trailers. Providing for two lanes of heavy goods vehicles, the 500-tonne upper deck linkspan constructed in phase two will offer vertical flexibility of 2 metres in relation to the lower deck, and 4.5 metres of horizontal flexibility which will accommodate different headroom requirements as well as providing clearance for vessels of different bow/stern configurations.

Both phase two and three are due for completion by March 2003.

The decision to undertake the work was instigated by P&O's announcement to replace its two ferries currently operating on the Portsmouth/Cherbourg route with a one-ship operation offering greater freight capacity. During the construction period, provision for P&O's new ship will be made on other berths at the continental ferry port.