Scrabster
August 18, 2020
18 Aug 20. Departing our safe anchorage in Loch Eriboll (photo 4) we enjoyed watching the scenery of northern Scotland change rapidly from highlands to lowlands. After passing Dounreay nuclear power station, we soon entered Scrabster - a huge commercial harbour cleverly built facing south on a northerly coast!
Jason Hamilton is the HM of this impressive port. Close to the Shetland oil fields, it manages 50 oil support ships per month and even has two ships a week supplying The Faroes. The "renewables" industry (wind farms) has given this whole area of Scotland a huge lift in the economy.
Fishing vessels dock 1,000 times a year at Scrabster, landing £20 Million of mostly white fish. Fact: the harbour charges approximately 2% on that catch - so an income of £400k, which is carefully reinvested by the Scrabster Harbour Trust. In contrast council owned Kinlochbervie lands £17M of fish every year and charges 2.5% - but it appeared very little of that £425k was reinvested in that harbour. That's another controversial subject I am tempted to dig into.... (I wonder if anyone from the Highland Council reads my posts?!)
Previously working on the oil rig support ships himself, Jason has been HM since 2015 and is very experienced. His most unusual job so far has been to spend £18M on building a massive new quay side - we watched the piles being driven in by a 40 tonne hammer. It is all about "big kit" at these commercial ports - the quays are measured by "deck loading" - the number of tonnes per sq metre they can safely hold... and wind turbines are heavy! Similarly in photo 8 you can see 4 tonne "rock bags" used for holding electricity cables in place on the sea bed while they get "trenched in".
The final photo is of two fishing crew from the Philippines who had not been home for nine months - but were remarkably cheerful. It is the local fishing mission who looks after seafarers like these men - and of course one of the many charities supported by "my"charity, SeafarersUK. Good job guys!
Jason Hamilton is the HM of this impressive port. Close to the Shetland oil fields, it manages 50 oil support ships per month and even has two ships a week supplying The Faroes. The "renewables" industry (wind farms) has given this whole area of Scotland a huge lift in the economy.
Fishing vessels dock 1,000 times a year at Scrabster, landing £20 Million of mostly white fish. Fact: the harbour charges approximately 2% on that catch - so an income of £400k, which is carefully reinvested by the Scrabster Harbour Trust. In contrast council owned Kinlochbervie lands £17M of fish every year and charges 2.5% - but it appeared very little of that £425k was reinvested in that harbour. That's another controversial subject I am tempted to dig into.... (I wonder if anyone from the Highland Council reads my posts?!)
Previously working on the oil rig support ships himself, Jason has been HM since 2015 and is very experienced. His most unusual job so far has been to spend £18M on building a massive new quay side - we watched the piles being driven in by a 40 tonne hammer. It is all about "big kit" at these commercial ports - the quays are measured by "deck loading" - the number of tonnes per sq metre they can safely hold... and wind turbines are heavy! Similarly in photo 8 you can see 4 tonne "rock bags" used for holding electricity cables in place on the sea bed while they get "trenched in".
The final photo is of two fishing crew from the Philippines who had not been home for nine months - but were remarkably cheerful. It is the local fishing mission who looks after seafarers like these men - and of course one of the many charities supported by "my"charity, SeafarersUK. Good job guys!