Work is due to start next week on a new slipway which has been described as one the “final missing pieces of the jigsaw” for a Highland marina development.
Mallaig Harbour Authority has awarded the contract for the project on the Lovat Beach to Fion Construction Ltd of Fort William.
It is also about to appoint a contractor for the Mallaig shoreside promenade, which will link the pontoons with new toilets, showers and laundry facilities at the west coast fishing port.
The £1million Mallaig yachting marina in East Bay opened in September 2011.
Work on the slipway will involve building reinforced concrete retaining walls, backfilling with rock and constructing a reinforced concrete slipway slab.
Port manager, Robert MacMillan, said the contractors were due to start work on site next week and to finish by mid December.
He added that a contractor would also be appointed for a walkway around East Bay. Work on this project is due to start next month and to be completed by the end of January.
Mr MacMillan said: “The slipway and the promenade are the final missing pieces of the jigsaw for the marina.
“At the moment, there is a pavement that goes nowhere. We will be extending this to link the shore base where the sailors come ashore with the new facility offering toilets, showers and laundry facilities.
“And the new slipway will provide improved access at Lovat Beach.”
Finance for both projects has been provided by the harbour authority, Nevis Estates and the Highland European Fisheries Fund Axis 4 Programme.
Work costing more than £300,000 has also been carried out to repair damage to the rock armour at the outer breakwater, which happened during a storm in December of last year.
A giant crane was used to lift a 26-tonne digger over the sea wall to assist in the reclamation and subsequent placement of the heavy rocks that protect the breakwater.
Earlier this year, multi-millionaire theatre producer Sir Cameron Mackintosh was granted permission for a separate harbourside project costing £750,000. The scheme includes demolition of the former village hall on his Nevis Estate.