LET’S hope that, by the end of summer, there will be a positive conclusion to the process which can lead to the expansion of Aberdeen Harbour into Nigg Bay.
It remains to be seen if further unwelcome hurdles will then appear, but that would not be good economic news for the city or region.
The Nigg Bay vision was launched in 2012 and the Aberdeen Harbour Board has put a huge amount of work into the complex business of advancing it as rapidly as possible.
With a fair wind, it will become reality by 2020.
In the interim, there has already been a seismic change in economic conditions affecting the city and region.
If it was important before for Aberdeen to consolidate its position as a competitive centre for the global oil and gas industry, then it is crucial now.
Even more urgently, the inevitability of a decommissioning boom – for someone - is bearing down.
In terms of jobs and onshore business, that could be as big as anything which has gone before, according to the more optimistic estimates.
Adversity in the offshore industry will thus create a massive opportunity – but it is by no means certain that Scotland will get the benefit.
The early signs are that ports and yards further south are in the front line for decommissioning.
Before that pattern becomes established, it is vital that clear messages should go out about our ability and intent to compete effectively. A positive decision on Aberdeen Harbour is vital.
It is inevitable that a project of this scale will involve consultation on many fronts and there are genuine questions to be answered.
Unusually, because there are both marine and land-based elements to the project, Aberdeen Harbour has had to pursue three separate consultations with three different organisatons – Transport Scotland, Marine Scotland and Aberdeen City Council.
In spite of the complexities, the Harbour Board pays tribute to the efficiency with which these channels have been navigated.
Even with this triple process, residents can still complain about a lack of information and consultation.
Would a shorter, more unified system of consultation and decision-making not serve everyone better?
This is a major project and others may not face the same degree of complexity.
But we need always be mindful of the possibility that competitors can move fast to grasp economic opportunities.
When Nigg Bay was put forward as preferred option in 2012, one stated purpose was to service offshore windfarms.
As of now, there are no offshore windfarms to service, with only the Beatrice project likely to happen.
The only other which secured funding, Neart na Gaoithe off the Fife coast, waited five years for planning approval from the Scottish Government – and was then kicked into the Court of Session by the RSPB for judicial review. It may just run out of time.
In the same timeframe, the English system approved 17 offshore windfarms. So they have an onshore industry and we don’t.
What every developer wants is an answer within a reasonable timescale and the Scottish planning system is not fully geared to that, even when time may not be on our side.
Aberdeen Harbour Board has navigated the system with great efficiency and now only a final decision is awaited.