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Lerwick Harbour News

19 Jul 2021

Marella Explorer 2: First Cruise Ship Since 2019 to Arrive in Port of Cromarty Firth

 Marella Explorer 2 - Credit:Tamme/AdobeStock

The Scottish Port of Cromarty Firth is set to welcome its first cruise ship since 2019 with the arrival of the Marella Explorer 2 on July 25.The news comes as the Scottish cruise sector prepares to resume operations after First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced that Scotland will switch to Level Zero on Monday (July 19).The 72,000tn Marella Explorer 2 will be making her inaugural call to Invergordon with a further 3 calls throughout the season, carrying British passengers and calling at British ports only.UK Government…

31 Aug 2020

VIDEO: Pioneering Spirit Brings Ninian Northern Topside to Lerwick

 Credit: Rory Gillies/Shetland Flyer Aerial Media.

Pioneering Spirit, one of the world's largest vessels, reached Lerwick Harbour on Friday, August 28, carrying aboard the 14,200 tonne Ninian Northern Platform topside.Prior to the arrival in Lerwick, the giant catamaran had removed the Ninian Northern topsides in a single-lift from a jacket standing in 140 m water depth, at the Ninian oilfield around 100 miles (88 nautical miles) north-east of Shetland.Delivery of the Ninian Northern platform topside marked the inauguration of a new…

21 Aug 2016

Lerwick Port Launches Latest VMS

Lerwick Port Authority have inaugurated a new Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) which utilises the latest technology to improve the handling of ship movements at the busy Shetland port. Transas, a world-leader in providing harmonised integrated solutions to the maritime industry, has installed the system across four sites covering the port area – port control in the main building and three remote stations, at Rova Head north of Lerwick and Maryfield and Kirkabister, on the island of Bressay, monitoring the northern approaches, inner harbour and southern approaches, respectively. Fibre and microwave links supply data back to port control. The completion was marked on Friday 19 August, 2016 with invitations extended to port users to view the new system.

14 Aug 2016

Biggest Cruise Ship to Enter Lerwick Harbor

The record for the biggest cruise ship into Lerwick Harbour will be broken on Today (Sunday) when Celebrity Silhouette enters the Shetland port on a 14-nights British Isles Cruise. On her maiden call at Lerwick, Celebrity Cruises’ 122,210 gross tonne vessel will beat the record set by the 115,055 gross tonne Azura on 30 June. Captain Calum Grains, Lerwick Port Authority’s Harbour Master and Deputy Chief Executive, said: “The visit by Celebrity Silhouette will be another highlight of a record-breaking season and in the long involvement of Lerwick and Shetland with the cruise industry. “The sheltered and safe, deep-water anchorages and proven modern landing-stage facilities make the harbour an ideal port-of-call for large cruise ships.

29 Jun 2016

Lerwick Port Set to Receive Largest Cruise ship

Lerwick Harbour’s record-breaking cruise season will hit the first of several milestones this season on Thursday (30 June) with the arrival of Azura, the largest cruise ship yet to enter the Shetland port. The P&O Cruises vessel will arrive from Akureyri, in north Iceland, en route for Kirkwall, Orkney, with around 3,100 passengers on a 14 nights’ round-trip voyage from Southampton. On her maiden visit, the 115,055 gross tonne Azura will break the port record set by Costa Pacifica, at 114,288 gross tonnes, in June 2011. The 290-metre vessel is scheduled to anchor at around 8am with passengers transferred by tender to Albert Dock where they will be welcomed by the volunteer Meet-and-Greet team.

22 Apr 2016

Quartet of Cruise Records in Prospect for Lerwick

The first cruise ship arrival of the year will enter Lerwick Harbour this weekend at the start of a record-breaking season which is expected to see the most passengers and vessels yet at the Shetland port, along with the highest gross tonnage of cruise ships, including the biggest vessels to date. • Almost 54,000 passengers are expected, up on the 2014 record of 43,273. • 78 vessels are currently due, beating the high of 52 in 2012. • The cumulative tonnage at 2,212,023 gross tonnes tops the 1,684,699 gross tonnes set in 2014. • The record for the largest cruise ship will be broken twice – by P&O Cruises 115,055 gross tonne Azura on 30 June, followed by Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Silhouette (122,210 gross tonnes) on 14 August, with around 3,100 and 2,900 passenger capacity respectively.

09 Dec 2015

Transas VMS for Lerwick Harbor

Transas signed a contract with Lerwick Port Authority to install a new Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) to cover Lerwick Harbour, in Shetland. The new Transas system is required to replace Lerwick Harbour’s existing system. Lerwick is a major commercial port in Britain, strategically situated at the crossroads of the North Sea and North-East Atlantic. Handling more than 5,000 vessel arrivals, totalling over 12,000,000 gross tonnes, annually, the deep-water port’s users include fishing, oil and gas support, cargo, sailing, ferries and cruises. The new VMS will be based on the high-end Navi-Harbour software solution from Transas. Hardware equipment scope consists of Class A AIS Transponders…

26 Sep 2015

Lerwick Readies for Cruise Call

Lerwick Harbour is making ready for a surprise visit by the 123 metre cruise ship Hanseatic. The 8,378 gross tonnes vessel carrying 144 mainly German passengers is due to arrive at 1200 noon on Sunday 27 September from Seydisfjordur and will berth at Victoria Pier East before sailing again at approximately 2000 hrs for Kirkwall. Chief Executive, Sandra Laurenson commented “We are pleased to have been able to accommodate Hanseatic at short notice and our meet and greet team will be on-hand to provide their warm and friendly Shetland welcome to passengers and crew on their arrival.

16 Mar 2015

Lerwick Sees Cruise Season Boom

Lerwick Harbour’s cruise season launches at the double this week, with the arrival of the first two vessels of the year on Wednesday (18 March), bringing 1,850 passengers to Shetland. En route from Andalnes, Norway, to Torshavn, Faroe, Saga Sapphire will anchor in the deep-water port while on a 12-nights Nordic Eclipse cruise, and Magellan will also anchor on her way from Invergordon, Scotland, to Reykjavik, Iceland, on a 12-nights Solar Eclipse maiden cruise. The vessels are 200 and 222 metres long, respectively. There are 48 arrivals – including six maiden visits - currently scheduled by end-of-season on 10 September, with a cumulative gross tonnage of 1,446,291 tonnes and bringing an estimated at 34,330 passengers.

18 Feb 2015

Quay Contract Awarded at Lerwick Port

Plans for significant further expansion of Lerwick Harbour’s extensive deep-water facilities for the offshore oil and gas industry have advanced with the award of a major contract to extend the quay at Dales Voe South to support subsea developments and decommissioning. Lerwick Port Authority has commissioned the Scottish business unit of civil engineering contractor BAM Nuttall as main contractor for an £11.95 million investment to lengthen the quay to 130 metres. Part of the Dutch construction group Royal BAM, BAM Nuttall specialises in complex marine construction, with a strong track record working around Scotland and on the Western and Northern Isles.

03 Nov 2014

Throughput Up at Lerwick Harbor

A continuing increase in cargo handled at Lerwick Harbour in the third quarter brought the volume for the first nine months of 2014 to 910,014 tonnes, up 6% on the same period last year. Shipments included 144,243 tonnes of oil-related cargo, a rise of 4.5%. There was a 14.7% increase in passengers to 154,381, with ferry passengers on the Aberdeen and Kirkwall routes up 4% to 111,357 and cruise passengers by 61% to a record 43,024. The 3,850 arrivals were down 8%, with the tonnage of vessels lower by 8% at 9.6 million gross tonnes. As forecast, oil-related arrivals decreased, by 5.8% to 503, with the tonnage at 2.3 million gross tonnes, down 27%, in comparison to the same period last year when there was a spike in activity due to one-off projects.

23 Oct 2014

Lerwick Port Awards £16.5 mi Expansion Contract

Lerwick Port Authority has awarded a construction contract for the latest expansion of the harbour’s facilities in a project costing a total of £16.5 million and which will benefit the fishing and oil sectors. The new jetty at Holmsgarth North will provide deeper berthing and more working area for the fishing fleet, while the outer arm of the L-shaped jetty will create a dock sheltering a planned new white fish market. The outer arm will also be suitable for berthing offshore industry vessels. Local company, Tulloch Developments Ltd, has been appointed main contractor. Site set-up will start before Christmas and the main works in the new year, with completion in autumn, 2016. Construction is expected to employ up to 50, helping to secure employment.

28 Sep 2014

2 Cruise Season Records at Lerwick Harbor

The arrival of the cruise ship Norwegian Star at Lerwick Harbour today (Thursday 25 September) marks the end of the Shetland port's best season yet, with two records achieved. Passenger numbers reached a new high at 43,056, topping the previous record of 37,572 in 2012, with the vessel tonnage figure of 1,682,985 gross tonnes exceeding the record of 1,531,097 gross tonnes two years ago. Making her second visit to Lerwick after a maiden call last year, the 294-metre, 91,740 gross tonne Norwegian Star arrived from Bergen, Norway, this morning with 2,282 passengers on board, leaving later in the day for Reykjavik, Iceland. She was the 49th cruise ship of the year at Lerwick where the early start to the season in March was delayed by bad weather in the North Sea.

07 Aug 2014

Lerwick Harbor Handles Solan Field Storage Tank

Lerwick Harbour has again demonstrated its deep-water capacity and capabilities,  this time by simultaneously accommodating two giant support vessels and the successful offloading of a 10,000 tonne subsea oil storage tank, destined for west of the Shetland Islands. The sheltered port’s facilities and proximity to the Solan Field, being developed by Premier Oil 90 kilometres into the Atlantic, meant is was perfectly placed for final preparation of the tank ahead of installation. The tank was delivered to the port on 26 July from the construction yard in Dubai by Cosco (Chinese Ocean Shipping) Heavy Lift’s transport vessel, Xiang Yun Kou.

24 Jul 2014

Homecoming Scotland 2014 Fireball Championships

Lerwick Harbour is ready for an exciting week of sailing with the 2014 Fireball European Championships taking place at the port next week. As a warm-up to the main event, the Shetland Fireball Championships will be held this afternoon and tomorrow. 27 boats are expected to enter the European Championships with international crews arriving from the Czech Republic, Switzerland and Ireland as well as the UK mainland. A number of the entrants are local boats looking forward to racing in their home waters. The travelling boats have arrived on trailers via NorthLink Ferries together with two crewmembers for each boat, accompanied by friends and family. Keen competition is expected as well as renewal of friendships made in previous championships, including when last at Lerwick in 2003.

24 May 2014

New Quay Structures At Lerwick Harbor

Lerwick Port Authority plans to construct new quay structures at Holmsgarth and Dales Voe South Development both at Lerwick, Shetland.   Prior to applying for Marine Licences for the above projects, a pre-application consultation is being held to invite comments before applications are submitted to Marine Scotland, details of which can be viewed on their website http://www.lerwick-harbour.co.uk/.     Lerwick Port Authority

01 May 2014

Mixed Fortunes At Lerwick Harbor In Q1

Lerwick Harbour recorded strong performances across various key sectors in the first quarter of this year, compared with the same period in 2013. However, seasonal factors impacted negatively on passenger traffic in particular. • Cargo across the near-4,000 metres of quays increased 19% to 282,060 tonnes. • It included 43,388 tonnes of oil-related shipments, up 60% due to movement of heavy items, such as offshore anchor chains, and increased supplies. • Fish landings totalled 32,577 tonnes, valued at £33 million – up 40% on volume and 57% on value. Bad weather in the North Sea hit the scheduled month-early start to the cruise season, with only one of three vessels due in March reaching Lerwick, bringing 609 passengers.

24 Sep 2012

Cruise Ship Arrivals Set New Shetland Island Port Record

Lerwick Harbour: Photo credit Lerwick Port Authority

Lerwick Harbour, Shetland Islands, Scotland, logs best cruise season yet, with number of vessels visiting setting four new records. 37,572 passengers, topping the previous highest figure of 30,843 in 2010. 52 cruise ships, beating last year’s record of 50. 1,531,097 gross tonnes of shipping, up on the previous record of 1,220,455 gross tonnes in 2010. 3,105 passengers on a single vessel at Lerwick - Costa Pacifica, on 2 July, passing her previous record of 3,007 in June, 2011.

20 Oct 2003

Crew Injured During Lifeboat Drill

The UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency reported that five crewmembers of a cargo vessel were injured during a lifeboat drill in Lerwick Harbour. During recovery of the lifeboat an aft recovery ring/hook is thought to have suffered a failure, throwing the crewmen into the water. Source: HK Law