Other Businesses

ABP Property

Our property division brings together an unrivalled land bank spanning 21 multi-modal locations around the country, with 960 hectares of port-based development land.

ABPmer

Drawing on 60 years of experience, ABP Marine Environmental Research (ABPmer) provides specialist marine environmental research and consultancy services.

UK Dredging

UK Dredging (UKD) operates the largest British-owned dredging fleet and specialises in the provision of reliable and cost effective port maintenance dredging services.

Commercial Enquiries

General Enquiries

The Port of Ayr is the first commercial port encountered by vessels entering the Firth of Clyde. Together with our customers, ABP's Scottish ports of Ayr and Troon contribute over £40 million to the UK economy every year, including £28 million locally. Every year, the Port of Ayr handles over 300,000 tonnes of cargo and we have the appetite, capacity and capability to handle more.

Throughout our network of 21 ports around Britain, our expert and highly-trained teams are ready to work in partnership to deliver the solutions your business needs.

Backed by a programme of ongoing investment, our ports provide leading facilities and equipment, operated by our expert teams who can safely and efficiently handle a wide variety of different cargoes.

ABP’s Port of Ayr specialises in handling dry bulks, including salt, animal feed, heavy lift and forest products, of which it handles around 25,000 tonnes each year.

As it is surrounded by world-leading golf courses, the port is also an attractive destination for cruise passengers who also benefit from the ports’ extensive car parking and marshalling facilities.

The port has a team dedicated to safely delivering the highest standards of customer service, ready to work flexibly and collaboratively with our trade partners to give them the facilities and the room they need to grow their businesses.

Connectivity

Situated on the West Coast of Scotland at the entrance to the Firth of Clyde, the Port of Ayr has easy access to rail networks and via trunk roads to the M77 for Glasgow, M8 for Edinburgh, and M74 for links to Northern England.

It is just 34 miles (55km) south west of Glasgow and close to Glasgow Prestwick Airport.

Delivering for customers

All ABP's ports offer the latest state-of-the-art facilities and equipment dedicated to handling a wide range of cargoes.

The Port of Ayr offers over 17,000sqm of storage for weather-sensitive cargoes and 2.7ha of open storage space.

As part of our continuous investment programme to deliver the best possible customer service, we recently procured a £700,000 Scottish-built 12.75m pilot vessel which will further enhance our Scottish ports’ ability to handle vessels in all weather conditions.

In March 2018, the Port of Ayr became the first port in the UK to purchase the latest Liebherr Materials Handler crane, as part of our commitment to offer customers the benefits of the most advanced cargo-handling technology.

In January 2019, we announced a £2.2 million investment in a new state-of-the-art warehouse at the Port of Ayr offering flexible storage solutions for a range of customers. The new, 4,000sqm facility will be located on the west side of Griffin Dock.

The Port welcomes cruise liners at anchor, where passenger transportation by tender to shore is facilitated by our pontoon and modern amenities. Located in the centre of Ayr, the Port is a short walk to the town’s High Street and beach, as well as with easy bus and rail access to the main Ayrshire sites, Glasgow or further. The Paddle Steamer Waverley is a regular visitor boarding day trippers from Ayr several times each year.

Port of Ayr provides
17,000sqm of specialist storage for weather-sensitive cargo
Provides
2.7ha of open storage
Handles over
300,000 tonnes of cargo per year

Key statistics and berthing information

Total port acreage = 40 acres

     
Normal acceptance dimension of vessels

Dock, Jetty or Quay Quay length  Depth of Water Length Beam Draught Approx.dwt
Griffin Dock 610m 6.0m 95m 18m 5.8m 3500
River berths 549m 6.7m 110m No restriction 6.2m 4000

Local Notices to Mariners in force are listed below.

2025

02/2025 - Dredging Operations: Ayr Harbour

2024

01/2024 - Crab Rock Buoy (55o33’ .080N 004o41’ .419W)

02/2024 - Calmac Ferry Service

2022

01/2022 – St Nicholas Buoy Operational

03/2022 - Sanctions Against Russian Shipping

04/2022 – Dredging Operations Port of Ayr

05/2022 – St Nicholas Buoy Operational

06/2022 – Suspension of dredging operations at Ayr

07/2022 – Installation of new “Inner St Nicholas Buoy”

2021

01 Survey Operations Port of Ayr

02 Restrictions on Shore Leave for Visiting Ships

04 North Breakwater Light Operational 

08 Dredging Operations Port of Ayr

09 Maritime Declaration of Health Update

Supplementary Questions In Addition to Maritime Declaration of Health Form

13 Port of Ayr Euchar Buoy

15 Port of Ayr Diving Operations

2020

07 Maritime Declaration of Health

15 Dredging Operations: Ayr Harbour

16 Pilotage Directions Revision

16.1 Pilotage Directions for ships to be navigated within the Ayr pilotage area

18 Pilotage Directions Revision 

Pilotage Directions for ships to be navigated within the Ayr pilotage area

22 Dredging Operations: Ayr Harbour

24 Leading Light Operational

26 St Nicholas Buoy Operational

27 HM Revenue & Customs - Notice 69 Report and Clearance by ships’ Masters

 

2017

01 Re-issue of boarding and landing of pilots

02 Re-issue of safe speed within harbour limits

03 Re-issue of escort towage for the port of Ayr

04 Re-issue of general awareness and guidance when navigating in restricted visibility - MGN 369

For ABP’s standard terms and conditions, please click here.