Shetland’s growing energy industry has led to a busy first half of the year at Lerwick harbour.
Lerwick Port Authority (LPA) said yesterday oil and gas-related activity increased in the six months to June, thanks to the harbour’s role in offshore development and decommissioning projects around Shetland.
LPA added it welcomed 317 oil-related vessels, a 43% rise on the same period last year, while tonnage jumped 77% to 1.4million gross tonnes.
Cargo shipped in support of offshore operations rose by 58% to 65,308 tonnes.
Despite a 1.5% fall in total vessels to 2,515, LPA said cargo for all sectors using the harbour rose by more than 11% to nearly 450,000 tonnes.
The rise in oil and gas activity comes after LPA pushed forward work on a new 262ft section of deepwater quay at Greenhead so energy services firm Technip could use the port for its work to reinstate the Gryphon field 90 miles south-east of Shetland.
LPA deputy chief executive Victor Sandison said: “The substantial increase in the figures for the offshore industry include a near-trebling in the number of diving support and offshore construction vessels – an encouraging trend given the harbour’s role in servicing development and decommissioning projects in waters around Shetland and our major, recent investment in the deepwater infrastructure to accommodate these larger vessels.”
LPA said the drop in total vessels was due to reduced ferry services and fish landings.
Ferry passenger traffic dropped 3.2% to 55,729, while the value of fish landings at Lerwick also fell. Fishermen at the port landed 19,179 tonnes, valued at £18.7million, down 24% in volume and 30% by value.
More than 5,200 tonnes of white fish was landed, worth £8.5million. This represented a 3.5% rise in volume on the same period last year, but a 3.2% drop in value.
Mr Sandison said: “White-fish landings are suffering due to days-at-sea restrictions discouraging the fleet from undertaking the more time-consuming pursuit of higher-value species, but quota remains for the autumn.”