News / Aberdeen finally deepens port entrance
FERRY disruption at Aberdeen harbour due to low tides and easterly winds should become history by the end of this year.
On Wednesday Aberdeen Harbour Board announced it had awarded a £5.2 million contract to widen and deepen the navigation channel into the city’s harbour.
For years northern isles passengers have suffered delays in inclement weather due to the entrance of Aberdeen harbour being inaccessible.
Only last October around 100 passengers faced a 29 hour journey to Rosyth after south easterly gales closed Aberdeen harbour, though last winter saw relatively little disruption due to the predominantly westerly winds.
The harbour’s chief executive Colin Parker said the work was being carried out mainly to accommodate the larger oil, gas and offshore renewables vessels wanting to use the port.
A fringe benefit for Shetland will be NorthLink ferries being able to access the port more frequently.
Westminster Dredging Company hope to complete the work by early October. They will deepen the first third of the entrance channel to eight metres, after which it will slope up to the existing six metres. They are also widening the narrow part of the entrance from 34 to 60 metres.
Mr Parker said: “This will help us accommodate some of the larger traffic that is coming to us and also help us to address the issues of the easterly storms.
“It will certainly assist any issues in the past when vessels have had to lay off or delay their arrival at Aberdeen.
“I think in future most of the time any reason a vessel wouldn’t be able to get in or wouldn’t be able to sail would be that in all likelihood he wouldn’t want to be at sea in the first place.”
Shetland Islands Council environment and transport committee chairman Allan Wishart said the news was long overdue.
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