Aberdeen Harbour
Aberdeen - three booms and a bust
June 3, 2021
3 June 21. HM 119. "Three booms and a bust" sums up the maritime history of this extraordinary city.
Boom 1: After construction of the south breakwater in 1876, the Herring Fleet exploded and within ten years 400 herring boats were active.
Boom 2: In 1882 two English "steam trawlers" landed their catch of white fish here. The local Scots were so impressed with these boats (compared with "sail"), they immediately converted some tugs into trawlers. By 1900 - 148 newly built steam trawlers (Photo 3) were landing white fish and fortunes on the quay.
Bust 1: In 1976 the UK lost the final of the "Cod Wars" with Iceland. Overnight, 500 years of unlimited British fishing in Icelandic waters ended. This lead to a complete collapse of the Aberdeen fishing industry.
Boom 3: Just as the fishing faded, the oil arrived. In 1975 BP commenced pumping oil from their Forties oil field and it was all controlled from Aberdeen. The rest is history. Today the harbour is packed with Oil Rig Support Vessels with their distinctive bull-nose shape (Photo 4).
Alex McIntosh, an experienced ex Merchant Navy officer who became HM in 2020, controls 12 pilots and 38 staff and loves her job. She kindly berthed Good Dog deep inside the port (photo 4), and even better acted as our personal pilot joining us on board for a tour of the port. Alongside her busy day job she has the largest marine infrastructure project currently underway in the UK within her patch. Aberdeen's new South Harbour (see photo 2 & 9) will be dredged to 10.5m (that's deep!), is costing £350M and is set to attract an increase in cargo, renewables and cruise ship traffic. She explained to me how her harbour has a unique geographical advantage over other east Scottish ports... and as I sailed south I leant how every other east coast port see themselves in stiff competition with this impressive place, the King of Scottish ports! As we sailed out into the North sea we experienced the famous "haar" - a cold sea fog - peculiar to this part of the coast Photo 8.
Thank you Alex for your generous hospitality.
Boom 1: After construction of the south breakwater in 1876, the Herring Fleet exploded and within ten years 400 herring boats were active.
Boom 2: In 1882 two English "steam trawlers" landed their catch of white fish here. The local Scots were so impressed with these boats (compared with "sail"), they immediately converted some tugs into trawlers. By 1900 - 148 newly built steam trawlers (Photo 3) were landing white fish and fortunes on the quay.
Bust 1: In 1976 the UK lost the final of the "Cod Wars" with Iceland. Overnight, 500 years of unlimited British fishing in Icelandic waters ended. This lead to a complete collapse of the Aberdeen fishing industry.
Boom 3: Just as the fishing faded, the oil arrived. In 1975 BP commenced pumping oil from their Forties oil field and it was all controlled from Aberdeen. The rest is history. Today the harbour is packed with Oil Rig Support Vessels with their distinctive bull-nose shape (Photo 4).
Alex McIntosh, an experienced ex Merchant Navy officer who became HM in 2020, controls 12 pilots and 38 staff and loves her job. She kindly berthed Good Dog deep inside the port (photo 4), and even better acted as our personal pilot joining us on board for a tour of the port. Alongside her busy day job she has the largest marine infrastructure project currently underway in the UK within her patch. Aberdeen's new South Harbour (see photo 2 & 9) will be dredged to 10.5m (that's deep!), is costing £350M and is set to attract an increase in cargo, renewables and cruise ship traffic. She explained to me how her harbour has a unique geographical advantage over other east Scottish ports... and as I sailed south I leant how every other east coast port see themselves in stiff competition with this impressive place, the King of Scottish ports! As we sailed out into the North sea we experienced the famous "haar" - a cold sea fog - peculiar to this part of the coast Photo 8.
Thank you Alex for your generous hospitality.