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NEW DEVELOPMENTSCapt Murdo MacLeod, Chief Executive commented; "The opening of the North Longman Development has been an important landmark for the Harbour Trust and I feel fortunate to have been witness to it. It has been incredibly rewarding to see the first phase completed, bringing us one step closer to completing the overall development and creating a gateway to the city of Inverness which will be truly spectacular. At the heart of the development is the new marina which is now 99% full. There only remains a very few of the pontoon berths to let. The 45 tonne boat lift has also been very successful. The Marina has enjoyed a very buoyant first two seasons despite difficult conditions and is fast becoming an established location, attracting yachtsmen and leisure craft users from far and wide. We were extremely pleased to welcome Dame Ellen McArthur to perform the official opening ceremony during June 2009. We are currently looking for a developer to work in partnership to deliver the next phase and transform the harbour area. It is envisaged this will include a mixture of shops, offices and leisure facilities as well as a hotel and restaurants."
The new harbour extension completed at the end of 2008 has been a great success. The new 150 metre berth has been in frequent use and the new lay-down areas fully utilised.
The additional storage space created amounts to 20,000 square metres, and the quayside incorporates a strengthened area for the siting of Heavy Lift craneage. Single lifts of up to 200 tonnes are possible from this new facility making it ideal for the importing of wind turbines and their associated equipment.
A brand new access into the port is currently being constructed with completion due in January 2011. This new access will incorporate a bellmouth opening onto the main road specifically designed to allow the easy egress of windfarm turbine blades from the port onto the public highway. Swept path analysis has been carried out by AF Crudens to allow blades of up to 50 metres length to pass through the port. Morrison Construction are carrying out the work.
Additions to the Ports existing Transit sheds have also been made. No.1 Shed which is used for Animal feedstuffs has been modified. The internal covered capacity has been increased by 50%, and a large canopy added on the east side to give semi-covered storage. No.3 shed which is used for Sterling Board, has also had a large canopy added to that already in place, to greatly increase the semi-covered capacity.
There are currently plans to further extend No.1 shed to accomodate increased quantities of bulk material.
A replacement Pilot vessel was purchased for the port during summer 2010. The PV "Carnarc" is an ex Tyne class lifeboat and was purchased directly from the RNLI on her decommisioning from service. Well maintained by the RNLI during her career this craft has been an excellent addition to the Pilotage service. She has been spray painted to change the colour scheme and had Inverness Harbour insignia applied.
The CCTV system around the harbour has been upgraded. Four new multi-function cameras have been installed and a number of the existing static cameras repositioned to enhance coverage and security around the port and of the Longman extension.
A new freight venture commenced during the autumn of 2010. The Great Glen Shipping Company has chartered the mv "Kanutta" to carry freight along the Caledonian Canal and using Inverrness Harbour for the discharging and loading of the vessel at the northern end of the run.
Logs are carried north to Inverness Harbour for onwards delivery to the Norbord factory. These logs are loaded at temporary piers located at some of the most remote points on the Lochaber coastline where it is either very difficult or impossible for road haulage vehicles to access. A variety of different cargoes are loaded at Inverness Harbour for the voyage south.
The movement of these cargoes takes a lot of haulage journeys off the A82.
The vessel is 44.3 metres long and almost the maximum size for transiting the Canal. She calls to Inverness approximately every five days. Although a six month pilot project at present it is hoped that such carraige of freight on the Canal will become a long term reality.
The port of Inverness had a quieter year during 2008/09 due to the harsh economic climate that businesses internationally have had to trade under. Exports were affected slightly more than imports, but overall the tonnage difference was only 4.2% down. This was an extremely good figure given that the ports industry nationally has fared much worse, with some ports seeing their tonnages handled fall by over 40%. The mainstays for the port are timber products, bulk cargoes and the importing of fuel oils. The importing of processed timber and the exporting of woodchips saw a drop due to the virtual standstill of the local construction industry.
The exporting of sterling board was strong and maintained the previous years figure. Fuel oils into the port showed only a very slight decrease on the previous year. So, overall a good performance given the difficult trading conditions.
Archive;
Inverness Harbour marked the start of a new chapter in its long history on the 1st June 2009 with the Official Opening of its North Longman development. Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson said: “The harbour development is a real boost for Inverness and the Highlands, particularly in these challenging economic times and I’m delighted to be here to open it.
“The Scottish Government has invested £2.3 million of freight funding in this project to see freight transferred by sea which would otherwise have been transported by road to destinations across the UK. This will help ease congestion in the North East and reduce damage to the environment. "The Scottish Government has the most ambitious and comprehensive climate change legislation anywhere in the world and projects such as this will make an important contribution to achieving our world leading targets. "I would like to see more and more Scottish businesses think about their freight priorities. If they do, we will see great benefits for our environment and remove even more traffic from The Scottish Government is committed to tackling congestion by taking more freight off the roads. Cargoes expected through our new development will see the removal of 800,000 miles a year from Scotlands roads.
Inverness Harbour also continues to work with the environmental experts and regulatory bodies to safeguard the future of the Moray Firth dolphin population. We never forget that we are a guardian of the Inner Moray Firth and the conservation of our native wildlife remains one of our main priorities." |
