Aberdeen Harbour
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Aberdeen Harbour, rebranded as the Port of Aberdeen in 2022, is a sea port located in the city of
Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...
on the east coast of
Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
. The port was first established in 1136 and has been continually redeveloped over the centuries to provide a base for significant fishing and ship building industries. Since the 1970s it has provided support to the offshore oil and gas industry operating in the
North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...
and it is the main commercial port in the north east of Scotland.


History


12th to 16th century

A port has existed at Aberdeen since at least the 12th century, with the first recorded reference being from 1136, when King David I of Scotland permitted the
Bishops of Aberdeen The Bishop of Aberdeen (originally Bishop of Mortlach, in Latin Murthlacum) was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Aberdeen, one of Scotland's 13 medieval bishoprics, whose first recorded bishop is an early 12th-century cleric named Nech ...
the right to charge a
tithe A tithe (; from Old English: ''teogoþa'' "tenth") is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Today, tithes are normally voluntary and paid in cash or cheques or more r ...
on all vessels visiting the port. Located on the
estuary An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environment ...
of the River Dee, the area initially comprised
sandbanks Sandbanks is an affluent neighbourhood of Poole, Dorset, on the south coast of England, situated on a narrow spit of around 1 km2 or 0.39 sq mi extending into the mouth of Poole Harbour. It is known for its high property prices and for it ...
and waterlogged
marsh A marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous rather than woody plant species.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p Marshes can often be found at ...
es. At that time the river entered the area from the south west on a northerly course before turning eastwards towards the sea, featuring a series of channels and
islet An islet is a very small, often unnamed island. Most definitions are not precise, but some suggest that an islet has little or no vegetation and cannot support human habitation. It may be made of rock, sand and/or hard coral; may be permanent ...
s (known locally as 'inches'). The channels were also fed by the Den Burn, a
tributary A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage ...
of the Dee, which flowed from the north east. The port was located on the northern most channel, immediately to the south of the town. It is thought that these channels, sandbanks and islets changed position over time, as maps dating from 1661 and 1773 show noticeably different arrangements. The area experienced a number of issues which could make navigation into the port difficult. Coastal currents and northerly winds would often allow a sandbank to form at the mouth of the river, leaving a water depth of only a few feet. The tidal area did not have any protection from easterly storms, and the channel leading to the town was shallow and obstructed. The first known improvements to address these issues are recorded in a
charter A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the rec ...
dating from 1281, which indicates that a
bulwark Bulwark primarily refers to: * Bulwark (nautical), a nautical term for the extension of a ship's side above the level of a weather deck * Bastion, a structure projecting outward from the curtain wall of a fortification The Bulwark primarily refe ...
ran southwards from the bottom of Shiprow. It is thought that is may be the 'Old Pier' which appears on a 1773 plan of Aberdeen. Later in 1339, records mention the 'quay of Aberdeen', which was repaired in 1453 and either repaired or rebuilt during 1484. The
Shore Porters Society The Shore Porters Society is a removals, haulage and storage company based in Aberdeen, Scotland, established by minute of the local council dated 22 June 1498. The company originated as a group or co-operative of porters working in Aberdee ...
, one of the UK's oldest companies, was created to service the harbour in 1498. It was established as a
co-operative A cooperative (also known as co-operative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically-control ...
to provide transportation of goods to the centre of Aberdeen for a fixed rate. The establishment of trade links with ports in
Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ...
and the
Baltic states The Baltic states, et, Balti riigid or the Baltic countries is a geopolitical term, which currently is used to group three countries: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. All three countries are members of NATO, the European Union, the Eurozone, ...
resulted in improvements being made at the port during the
Tudor period The Tudor period occurred between 1485 and 1603 in History of England, England and Wales and includes the Elizabethan period during the reign of Elizabeth I until 1603. The Tudor period coincides with the dynasty of the House of Tudor in Englan ...
. This included the installation of
beacon A beacon is an intentionally conspicuous device designed to attract attention to a specific location. A common example is the lighthouse, which draws attention to a fixed point that can be used to navigate around obstacles or into port. More mode ...
s at the entrance to the harbour, the clearance of obstructions from the channel and more repairs to the quayside in 1512 and 1526. The work of 1526 specified cut stone, suggesting that the earlier quay may have been constructed from rough drystone masonry and timber. The port's first cargo-handling crane was erected in 1582. During 1595
King James VI James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 until ...
issued a charter to raise funding for improvements, with considerable work thereafter being undertaken, including repair of the bulwark, pier, shore and harbour. In an attempt to address the problem of the sandbank, a bulwark known as the 'South Pier' was constructed in 1609 on the south side of the harbour entrance. It was formed from a drystone construction with timber stakes and positioned so that it would deflect the current of the river northwards, washing away the sandbank. However, the bank continued to cause problems, with water backing up and flowing over the quayside during floods.


17th and 18th century

A project to extend the quay downstream commenced in 1623, finally being completed in 1659, after being delayed by the
Wars of the Three Kingdoms The Wars of the Three Kingdoms were a series of related conflicts fought between 1639 and 1653 in the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland and Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland, then separate entities united in a pers ...
. The extension of the quay allowed former tidal ground to the north to be reclaimed from the sea and put to agricultural use. A 1661 account and plan of Aberdeen by James Gordon, indicates that the quayside extended from
Shiprow Shiprow is a historic street in the heart of Aberdeen, Scotland, near the Aberdeen Harbour, harbour. Formerly the Shiprow sloped upward more gradually than it does now, and it crossed Union Street, Aberdeen, Union Street in a depression between ...
within the town, eastwards towards what was known as Futty, now the Queen's Links area between Waterloo Quay and Aberdeen Beach. Near the mouth of the Dee, was Pockraw, a small fishing harbour, separate from the main port. Gordon also recorded a weigh-house located near Shiprow, which had been built in the early 1630s. Meanwhile, a fishing pier was constructed between 1611 and 1612 at
Torry Torry is an area within the city of Aberdeen, Scotland. Torry’s origins People have been living in Torry since at least the 12th century. The place name first appears in written records in 1484 and was erected a Burgh of barony by Royal Cha ...
, Aberdeen's southern neighbour across the River Dee. The layout of the modern harbour, as it largely remains today, can be traced back to around 1770, when planning for extensive development begun. Civil engineer
John Smeaton John Smeaton (8 June 1724 – 28 October 1792) was a British civil engineer responsible for the design of bridges, canals, harbours and lighthouses. He was also a capable mechanical engineer and an eminent physicist. Smeaton was the fir ...
oversaw the construction of a
breakwater Breakwater may refer to: * Breakwater (structure), a structure for protecting a beach or harbour Places * Breakwater, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria, Australia * Breakwater Island Breakwater Island () is a small island in the Palme ...
(which became known as the North Pier) between 1775 and 1781 at Sandness (now known as
Footdee Footdee (Scots: Fittie) is an area of Aberdeen, Scotland known locally by its Scots language name of Fittie. It is an old fishing village at the east end of Aberdeen Harbour. The name is actually folk etymology. Far from being "Foot of the De ...
or locally as ). The purpose of the breakwater was to prevent sand creating a
bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...
at the harbour entrance and to direct the flow of deposits from the River Dee into the tidal current and away from the harbour. The pier was constructed from rubble masonry with
ashlar Ashlar () is finely dressed (cut, worked) stone, either an individual stone that has been worked until squared, or a structure built from such stones. Ashlar is the finest stone masonry unit, generally rectangular cuboid, mentioned by Vitruv ...
facing block and was long, wide and high above the high-water level. The works were overseen by the harbour's engineer John Gwyn and cost £16,000. In 1789, it was found necessary to narrow the navigation-channel to limit waves generated by the presence of the new north pier, with it being considered that the pier had been sited too far to the north. The Abercrombie Jetty (also known as the 'Catch Pier') was therefore constructed.


19th century

Civil engineer
Thomas Telford Thomas Telford FRS, FRSE, (9 August 1757 – 2 September 1834) was a Scottish civil engineer. After establishing himself as an engineer of road and canal projects in Shropshire, he designed numerous infrastructure projects in his native Scotla ...
recommended several improvements to the harbour in 1802. This included work to extend the North Pier to to a point which terminated amongst rocks which had resulted in at least five shipwrecks. Work to the pier was completed in 1816 at a cost of £16,000. Improvements also involved the construction of a
wet dock Wet may refer to: * Moisture, the condition of containing liquid or being covered or saturated in liquid * Wetting (or wetness), a measure of how well a liquid sticks to a solid rather than forming a sphere on the surface Wet or WET may also refe ...
and
spillway A spillway is a structure used to provide the controlled release of water downstream from a dam or levee, typically into the riverbed of the dammed river itself. In the United Kingdom, they may be known as overflow channels. Spillways ensure tha ...
, and the diversion of the River Dee, all overseen by resident harbour engineer John Gibb. With the exception of the wet dock (of which only the quay-walls had been constructed), all these works were recorded as being complete by 1829. During the early 19th century, other major projects included the construction of wharfs along the length of Waterloo and Regent Quays and the creation of what at the time was called the South Breakwater, but now known as the Inner or Old South Breakwater. It extended from the south shore of the mouth of the River Dee and was completed between 1812 and 1815. With the exception of dredging, few improvements were undertaken between 1816 and 1829. More extensive works were undertaken between 1840 and 1846, under the direction of resident engineer
James Abernethy James Abernethy FRSE (12 June 1814 – 8 March 1896) was a Scottish civil engineer. Biography Abernethy was born in Aberdeen to George Abernethy, an engineer, and Isabella Johnston. In 1823, the family moved to South Wales, where his father m ...
. This included widening and deepening of the harbour, the dredging of sand-banks at the harbour entrance and removal of part of Abercromby's Jetty. During this period of new quayside was constructed. At this point in time navigation into the harbour was difficult, particularly for long
steamship A steamship, often referred to as a steamer, is a type of steam-powered vessel, typically ocean-faring and seaworthy, that is propelled by one or more steam engines that typically move (turn) propellers or paddlewheels. The first steamships ...
s, as it was necessary to make a turn of almost 90 degrees between Pockra jetty and the point of the 'inch' opposite. With the width of the entrance to the navigation channel restricted by the construction of the North Pier and South Breakwater, Abernethy considered it necessary to provide a navigational aid to assist vessels entering the harbour. As a solution, a pair of
leading lights Leading lights (also known as range lights in the United States) are a pair of light beacons used in navigation to indicate a safe passage for vessels entering a shallow or dangerous channel; they may also be used for position fixing. At night ...
were constructed in Torry on the south shore of the River Dee. They were completed in 1842 and took the form of two cast iron tapering, octagonal-plan towers around . Prior to the 19th century, Aberdeen's fishing industry was relatively small compared to other settlements in the north east of Scotland (such as
Peterhead Peterhead (; gd, Ceann Phàdraig, sco, Peterheid ) is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is Aberdeenshire's biggest settlement (the city of Aberdeen itself not being a part of the district), with a population of 18,537 at the 2011 Census. ...
) and had focused largely on river and
salmon Salmon () is the common name for several list of commercially important fish species, commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the family (biology), family Salmonidae, which are native to tributary, tributaries of the ...
fishing. The traditional fishing fleets of Torry and Footdee also used line-fishing to catch white fish in the North Sea. In 1835, a
herring Herring are forage fish, mostly belonging to the family of Clupeidae. Herring often move in large schools around fishing banks and near the coast, found particularly in shallow, temperate waters of the North Pacific and North Atlantic Oceans, i ...
fishing station was set up at the harbour, with Aberdeen's herring fleet bringing significant prosperity to the city. More efficient methods of fishing were introduced, with nets rather than lines being used to take advantage of herring
shoals In oceanography, geomorphology, and geoscience, a shoal is a natural submerged ridge, bank, or bar that consists of, or is covered by, sand or other unconsolidated material and rises from the bed of a body of water to near the surface. It o ...
. A railway line to Aberdeen was opened in 1850, which allowed overnight fish trains to operate from the city to
Billingsgate Fish Market Billingsgate Fish Market is located in Canary Wharf in London. It is the United Kingdom's largest inland fish market. It takes its name from Billingsgate, a ward in the south-east corner of the City of London, where the riverside market was origi ...
in London. One of the most important changes during the harbour's history took place between 1843 and 1848, when the docks onto which the town's quaysides fronted were finally enclosed to create the Victoria Dock, a wet-dock of . Replacing Wellington Quay and Lime Quay, the scheme was based on Telford's original proposals and were developed by James Abernethy with help from engineers James Walker and
Alexander Gibb Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...
. The dock was divided into two parts, separated by the Regent swinging bridge. There was a larger dock to the east and smaller dock to the west, the latter corresponding with what is now known as the Upper Dock. The Victoria Dock had a depth of and could accommodate 300 vessels. It featured two iron entrance-lock gates, and wide, one for vessels and the other operating as a
tide gate Floodgates, also called stop gates, are adjustable gates used to control water flow in flood barriers, reservoir, river, stream, or levee systems. They may be designed to set spillway crest heights in dams, to adjust flow rates in sluices and c ...
. The northern quayside was named Waterloo Quay and the southern named Provost Blaikies Quay. During the period, the River Dee followed a course which corresponds with the modern-day Albert Basin, which was yet to be constructed. Plans to divert the River Dee to its current route were agreed in 1868, allowing for the creation of the Albert Basin between 1869 and 1872, with Commercial Road to the formed to the north and Albert Quay to the south. The work resulted in the demolition of much of Old Torry on the south side of the river, the separate
burgh A burgh is an autonomous municipal corporation in Scotland and Northern England, usually a city, town, or toun in Scots. This type of administrative division existed from the 12th century, when King David I created the first royal burghs. Burg ...
being incorporated into the City of Aberdeen during 1891.The Albert Basin became the centre of the port's fishing industry, being home from 1889 to a covered
fish market A fish market is a marketplace for selling fish and fish products. It can be dedicated to wholesale trade between fishermen and fish merchants, or to the sale of seafood to individual consumers, or to both. Retail fish markets, a type of wet mar ...
located at Commercial Quay which could accommodate several hundred vessels. Steam trawlers were introduced to the Aberdeen fishing fleet in 1882, the first being converted Tyneside-built
tugboat A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, su ...
the ''Toiler.'' Steam powered vessels were larger and faster than sailing ships and by 1912 over 230 steam trawlers were based in Aberdeen.'''' Due to the higher cost of steam trawlers, fishing became increasingly more commercialised, with boats being operated by companies who paid their crews a wage, rather than family businesses who would share the value of the catch with their crew. To support the fishing industry several related industries prospered in the city, including the fish market,
fish processing The term fish processing refers to the processes associated with fish and fish products between the time fish are caught or harvested, and the time the final product is delivered to the customer. Although the term refers specifically to fish, in ...
and ship building. The fish processing industry was dominated by women who cured,
gutted Disembowelment or evisceration is the removal of some or all of the organs of the gastrointestinal tract (the bowels, or viscera), usually through a horizontal incision made across the abdominal area. Disembowelment may result from an accident ...
and packed fish, typically in teams of three, with one team for each boat. A dry dock for the repair and maintenance of steamships was opened in January 1885 at the east end of the Albert Basin. Known as Pacific Wharf, the dry dock operated until 1915. It was demolished between 1924 and 1927 to allow for an extension to the fish market. The North Pier was extended for a third and final time between 1874 and 1877, under a 1868 Act of Parliament authorising wider improvement works. A further was added using concrete, resulting in its current length of . Matthews Quay was constructed in 1885 and named after Aberdeen Lord Provost James Matthews, who was also a prominent architect in the city.


20th century

The early twentieth century saw the expansion of quaysides on the southern shores of the River Dee, with River Dee Dock No.1 and Maitlands Quay being constructed to the west of Torry Harbour between 1909 and 1915. This coincided with the development of Torry which saw new streets, a school and church being built and later the Torry Marine Laboratory, shipbuilding yards and sawmills. On 1 July 1909, crowds gathered to watch
escape artist Escapology is the practice of escaping from restraints or other traps. Escapologists (also classified as escape artists) escape from handcuffs, straitjackets, cages, coffins, steel boxes, barrels, bags, burning buildings, fish-tanks, and oth ...
Harry Houdini Harry Houdini (, born Erik Weisz; March 24, 1874 – October 31, 1926) was a Hungarian-American escape artist, magic man, and stunt performer, noted for his escape acts. His pseudonym is a reference to his spiritual master, French magician ...
perform an escape from the harbour waters whilst he was chained and handcuffed. Aberdeen's last steam trawlers stopped fishing in the 1950s as they were replaced by motor powered boats which had become more affordable and efficient. By the 1960s, Aberdeen was established as the primary whitefish port in Scotland and after Hull and Grimsby one of the main trawler ports in the UK. The Aberdeen fleet consisted of a mixture of middle-distance trawlers embarking on sixteen-day trips to the seas around the
Faroe Islands The Faroe Islands ( ), or simply the Faroes ( fo, Føroyar ; da, Færøerne ), are a North Atlantic island group and an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark. They are located north-northwest of Scotland, and about halfway bet ...
and smaller vessels known as Aberdeen scratchers, which operated in the North Sea and off the west coast of Scotland. The fleet also comprised around thirty larger great-line boats, which would typically be at sea for up to 28 days and fished in deeper waters, predominately for halibut. Although several local owners invested in new stern trawlers, by the late 1960s, Aberdeen was facing economic decline with an ageing fishing fleet rapidly reducing in size and the ship building industry also declining. In 1978 Aberdeen was still the main Scottish port for white-fish processing, with approximately 2,500 full-time employees working in the sector. However, most of the fish landed in Aberdeen was from seine net boats sailing from ports in Fife and north-east Scotland rather than the Aberdeen fleet. Aberdeen's economic prospects improved when
oil and natural gas Oil and gas law in the United States is the branch of law that pertains to the acquisition and property law, ownership rights in oil and natural gas, gas both under the soil before discovery and after its rule of capture, capture, and adjudication r ...
were discovered in the North Sea, however the significance of this to Aberdeen was not apparent until the discovery by BP of the Forties field in October 1970 and the
East Shetland Basin The East Shetland Basin is a major oil-producing area of the North Sea between Scotland and Norway. Oil produced in the UK area is landed at Sullom Voe Terminal in the Shetland Islands. Associated gas flows via the FLAGS pipeline to St Fergus ...
discovery by
Shell Shell may refer to: Architecture and design * Shell (structure), a thin structure ** Concrete shell, a thin shell of concrete, usually with no interior columns or exterior buttresses ** Thin-shell structure Science Biology * Seashell, a hard ou ...
in July 1971. In 1973, Shell became the first oil company to enter a partnership with the harbour to create an oil and gas supply base at Maitlands Quay on the River Dee. The redevelopment saw the remainder of Old Torry demolished, with only a few houses left and none dating from earlier than the 19th century. The late 1960s and early 1970s saw investment from central government to allow the reconstruction of Mearns Quay, of Commercial Quay and part of the fish-market. The Victoria Dock was redeveloped and the tide locks at Waterloo Quay were removed in 1975, resulting in the whole harbour again becoming tidal, with dredging occurring as necessary to maintain the required depths. Other offshore supply bases were established and the harbour went through a period of significant redevelopment to become the primary port in Europe to serve the offshore oil and gas industry. In 1984, Mearns Quay was extended westwards into the River Dee Dock through the use of steel
sheet piling Sheet or Sheets may refer to: * Bed sheet, a rectangular piece of cloth used as bedding * Sheet of paper, a flat, very thin piece of paper * Sheet metal, a flat thin piece of metal * Sheet (sailing), a line, cable or chain used to control the cle ...
. During the 1990s, the harbour was host to the Cutty Sark Tall Ships Race on two occasions. The first visit, during 1991 saw more than 310,000 people visited the city to see the dozens of
sailing ship A sailing ship is a sea-going vessel that uses sails mounted on masts to harness the power of wind and propel the vessel. There is a variety of sail plans that propel sailing ships, employing square-rigged or fore-and-aft sails. Some ships c ...
s taking part in the race. The event included a fire works display launched from the North Pier. The second visit of the race during 1997 saw attracted 558,000 visitors.


21st century

As a result of a declining fishing industry in Aberdeen, market sales of fish ended in the mid-1990s. The fish market at Commercial Quay was demolished between 2006 and 2007, 118 years after the first covered market was established at the harbour. By 2015, it was estimated that the harbour generated approximately £1.5 billion (
gross value added In economics, gross value added (GVA) is the measure of the value of goods and services produced in an area, industry or sector of an economy. "Gross value added is the value of output minus the value of intermediate consumption; it is a measure of ...
) and 12,260 jobs for the Scottish economy. This included £1.4 billion (GVA) and 9,565 jobs for the Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire economies. A £36m project to infill the River Dee Dock and create four new berths along the River Dee was completed in 2016. In May 2017, construction started on a new harbour at Nigg Bay to the south of the existing harbour. The £350 million project is the largest marine infrastructure project in the UK and when complete will be the largest port in terms of available berths in Scotland, capable of accommodating vessels up to 300m in length. Four new quays are under construction, the 300m-long Balmoral Quay, the 400m-long Dunnottar Quay, the 175m-long Crathes Quay and the 540m-long Castlegate Quay. The new harbour is expected to create an additional 7,000 jobs and add £1 billion annually to the economy by 2035. In May 2022, the harbour was rebranded from Aberdeen Harbour to Port of Aberdeen. The new name encompasses both the new south harbour as well as the original harbour which since the development of the new harbour has sometimes been known as the ''north harbour''. The rebranding was undertaken to avoid confusion between the two parts of the harbour and to reflect the commercial nature of the port.


Ship building

Aberdeen had a significant
shipbuilding Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to befor ...
industry for over 200 years, with over 3,000 ships being built at shipyards within the port between 1790 and 1990. There were five main shipbuilders:


Alexander Hall and Sons

Established in 1790,
Alexander Hall and Sons Alexander Hall and Sons was a shipbuilder that operated in Aberdeen from 1797 to 1957. They designed the pointed and sharply raked Aberdeen bow" first used on the '' Scottish Maid'' and which became a characteristic of the "extreme clippers". ...
was known for building sailing ships and designed the 'Aberdeen' or 'clipper' bow in 1839. It also built steam ships, one of the most famous being the ''
Jho Sho Maru Jho is a surname of the following people: * Andile Jho (born 1992), South African rugby union player * Jho Low (Low Taek Jho), Malaysian businessman *Kim Jho Gwangsoo Kim-Jho Gwang-soo (; born 26 March 1965), also known as Peter Kim, is a South ...
'' which was built for the
Imperial Japanese Navy The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, when it was dissolved following Japan's surrender ...
in the 1860s. The yard failed to modernise and was acquired by Aberdeen-based
Hall, Russell & Company Hall, Russell & Company, Limited was a shipbuilder based in Aberdeen, Scotland. History Brothers James and William Hall, Thomas Russell, a Glasgow engineer, and James Cardno Couper founded the company in 1864 to build steam engines and boile ...
in 1957.


Walter Hood & Co.

The Walter Hood & Co. shipyard opened in 1839 and was located adjacent to Pocra jetty, east of the Hall Russell yard. It is considered to have produced some of the finest sailing ships built in Aberdeen, including the clipper ''Thermopylae'', which was built for the
Aberdeen Line The Aberdeen Line was a shipping company founded in 1825 by George Thompson of Aberdeen to take sailing vessels to the St. Lawrence river, carrying some passengers and returning with cargoes of timber. The business flourished and grew to 12 sa ...
and launched in 1868. The yard never manufactured engines and with propeller-driven vessels becoming increasingly popular the yard became unable to compete, leading to a merger with Alexander Hall and Sons in 1871.


Duthie

The first Duthie Shipyard was opened in 1816 by William Duthie. It mainly predominately built
brigantine A brigantine is a two-masted sailing vessel with a fully square-rigged foremast and at least two sails on the main mast: a square topsail and a gaff sail mainsail (behind the mast). The main mast is the second and taller of the two masts. Older ...
s and
schooner A schooner () is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail schoon ...
s but also undertook repair work. In 1839 it was renamed Alexander Duthie & Co. and began building clipper bow vessels, both for local and international customers. In 1861, the yard became John Duthie, Sons & Co. and throughout the 1860s continued to produce vessels constructed from timber, despite competitors developing use of composite designs and iron. The yard's first iron vessel was launched in 1869 and by the 1880s the yard predominately built trawlers. It closed in 1907 with the premises taken over by Hall Russell. Two other yard operated by the Duthie family existed. William Duthie Junior operated a yard from the inches opposite Footdee from 1855 to 1870. John Duthie Torry Shipbuilding Co. was located in Torry between 1904 and 1925.


John Lewis & Sons

John Lewis & Sons was established in 1907, initially producing and repairing marine engines at Maitlands Quay area in Torry. With the
First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
generating demand, it built its first vessel in 1917, going on to specialise in cargo and fishing vessels. It constructed the last Aberdeen-built sailing ship, the sail-training schooner ''
Malcolm Miller The ''Malcolm Miller'' is a sistership of the three-mast schooner ''Sir Winston Churchill'' designed by Camper & Nicholsons. She was built by John Lewis & Sons in Aberdeen and first served as a Sail training ship before being converted into ...
'', in 1967. The yard was purchased by
Wood Group John Wood Group plc, commonly known as Wood, is a British multinational engineering and consulting business with headquarters in Aberdeen, Scotland. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange as well as being a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index. ...
in 1972 and its activities moved towards ship repair.


Hall Russell

Hall Russell & Company was established in 1864. It built a wide range of fishing boats, cargo steamers and trawlers. During the First World War, the yard constructed
minesweeper A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping. History The earliest known usage of ...
trawlers and during the Second World War contributed to the war effort by producing ''Flower-''class corvettes, frigates and other naval vessels. Post-war, Hall Russell constructed trawlers and cargo ships, including the freighter ''Thameshaven'' in 1971, which was Aberdeen's largest ever vessel with a deadweight of 10,500 tonnes. In 1977, the yard was
nationalised Nationalization (nationalisation in British English) is the process of transforming privately-owned assets into public assets by bringing them under the public ownership of a national government or state. Nationalization usually refers to pri ...
and became part of the
state-owned State ownership, also called government ownership and public ownership, is the ownership of an industry, asset, or enterprise by the state or a public body representing a community, as opposed to an individual or private party. Public ownersh ...
British Shipbuilders British Shipbuilders (BS) was a public corporation that owned and managed the shipbuilding industry in Great Britain from 1977 through the 1980s. Its head office was at Benton House in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. History The corporation was ...
. It built several
offshore patrol vessel A patrol boat (also referred to as a patrol craft, patrol ship, or patrol vessel) is a relatively small naval ship, naval vessel generally designed for Coastal defence and fortification, coastal defence, Border control, border security, or law ...
s and
torpedo recovery vessel Torpedo trials craft are primarily naval auxiliaries used by navies for the development of new naval torpedoes and during practise firings. These craft are designed to track and monitor the torpedo and to be able to locate and retrieve the spent ...
s for the British
Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...
. It was privatised in 1986 and despite traditionally building fishing and cargo vessels, was classed as a naval shipbuilder. This hindered the ability to obtain contracts in the merchant vessel market, resulting in a downturn in work. The yard was acquired by A&P Appledore in 1989 but business did not improve. The last vessel to be built at the yard and in Aberdeen was cargo-liner RMS ''St Helena'' which was completed in 1990, bring over 200 years of shipbuilding in Aberdeen to an end. The yard carried out repair work until its closure in 1992. The site was redeveloped to create the Telford Dock, which provided five new deep-water berths, a jetty, two transit sheds and 26,000sqm of heavy-duty paved open storage. The dock's quays were each named after Aberdeen's shipbuilders, except from the Clipper Quay which relates to the bow design invented in the city.


Port facilities


Docks and berths

The Port of Aberdeen has six docks, each with several quays and berths as described below. Albert Basin * Albert Quay * Albert Quay Bunker Berth * Albert Quay East * Albert Quay West * Atlantic Wharf * Commercial Quay East * Commercial Quay West * Eurolink Ro-Ro Berth * Pacific Wharf * Palmerston Quay River Dee * Mearns Quay * Point Law South * Torry Quay Telford Dock * Clipper Quay * Duthies Quay * Halls Quay * Russells Quay * Telford Jetty Tidal Harbour * Dry Dock * Matthews Quay Cross Berth * Matthews Quay North * Pocra Base * Pocra Quay * Point Law Cross Berth * Point Law North Upper Dock * Jamiesons Quay * Passenger Ro-Ro Berth * Regent Quay East * Regent Quay West * Trinity Quay * Upper Quay Victoria Dock * Blaikies Quay * Waterloo Quay Cross Berth * Waterloo Quay East * Waterloo Quay West


Dry Dock

A
dry dock A dry dock (sometimes drydock or dry-dock) is a narrow basin or vessel that can be flooded to allow a load to be floated in, then drained to allow that load to come to rest on a dry platform. Dry docks are used for the construction, maintenance, ...
is located between Russells Quay and Pocra Quay. It is long, wide & deep.


Maritime and Coastguard Agency

Marine House, located at Blakies Quay, is home to Aberdeen Coastguard Operations Centre (CGOC), part of
Her Majesty's Coastguard His Majesty's Coastguard (HMCG) is a section of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency responsible, through the Secretary of State for Transport to Parliament, for the initiation and co-ordination of all maritime search and rescue (SAR) within the ...
and in turn the
Maritime and Coastguard Agency The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) is an executive agency of the United Kingdom that responsible for implementing British and international maritime law and safety policy. It works to prevent the loss of lives at sea and to prevent marine ...
(MCA). It is one of ten CGOC located around the United Kingdom and covers the east coast of Scotland between the inner
Moray Firth The Moray Firth (; Scottish Gaelic: ''An Cuan Moireach'', ''Linne Mhoireibh'' or ''Caolas Mhoireibh'') is a roughly triangular inlet (or firth) of the North Sea, north and east of Inverness, which is in the Highland council area of north of Scotl ...
to the north and outer
Firth of Forth The Firth of Forth () is the estuary, or firth, of several Scottish rivers including the River Forth. It meets the North Sea with Fife on the north coast and Lothian on the south. Name ''Firth'' is a cognate of ''fjord'', a Norse word meani ...
to the south. It is responsible for the mobilisation, organisation and tasking of adequate resources to respond to persons in distress in the air, at sea, in tidal waters or at risk of injury or death on the sea cliffs and shoreline within its area. HM Coastguard's Aberdeen Coastguard Rescue Team is also based at Marine House and covers a stretch of coastline to the north and south of Aberdeen. The MCA's Aberdeen Marine and Fishing Survey Office is also located in Marine House.


Lifeboat Station

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution's (RNLI) Aberdeen Lifeboat Station is located at the entrance to the Victoria Dock. The station operates one Severn-class all-weather lifeboat (named ''Bon Accord'') and one D-class inshore lifeboat (''James Bissett Simpson).'' A station was first established in 1802 by the Harbour Commissioners before being transferred to the RNLI in 1925. The current lifeboat station was constructed in 1997, providing indoor space for the D-class lifeboat and improved crew facilities.


Marine Operations Centre

Port operations are controlled from the Marine Operations Centre located at the base of the North Pier. The building was completed in 2006 at a cost of £4.5 million. It was designed by SMC Parr Architects and is reminiscent of a traditional lighthouse, utilising
precast concrete Precast concrete is a construction product produced by casting concrete in a reusable molding (process), mold or "form" which is then cured in a controlled environment, transported to the construction site and maneuvered into place; examples i ...
with white aggregate as well as faceted curtain wall glazing. Its prominent location at the mouth of the River Dee allows Vessel Traffic Services (VTS) staff to have an overview of the various docks and harbour entrance. The facility also features ship's bridge simulator used in training. VTS controls all shipping movements within the harbour and within a two-mile radius of the head of the North Pier.


Marine Training Centre

Oilfield services provider
Petrofac Petrofac Limited is an international energy services company that designs, builds, manages and maintains oil, gas, refining, petrochemicals and renewable energy infrastructure. It is registered in Jersey (number 81792), with its main corporate off ...
operates a training centre with water access onto the River Dee. The centre operates a fleet of Fast Rescue Craft and survival craft and provides training in their operation.


Waterloo Multi-Modal Terminal

The Waterloo Mult- Modal Terminal is located immediately to the north of Waterloo Quay and provides a connection to the national rail network. The terminal is built on the site of the former
Aberdeen Waterloo railway station Aberdeen Waterloo station opened on 1 April 1856 to serve the Great North of Scotland Railway main line to Keith. It was located on Waterloo Quay in the city centre. It closed to passengers in 1867 once opened, but the track remains in use as ...
which operated for passengers between 1856 and 1867 and freight until the 1960s when the station was demolished.


Port operations

The Port of Aberdeen is the main commercial port in north east Scotland, predominately serving the offshore oil and gas industry. It also handles a variety of bulk, forest products, grains and mineral cargoes.


Oil and gas

Aberdeen is principal port servicing the UK North Sea offshore oil and gas industry. It handles a wide range of ships supporting the industry including
platform supply vessel A platform supply vessel (PSV) is a ship specially designed to supply offshore oil and gas platforms. These ships range from in length and accomplish a variety of tasks. The primary function for most of these vessels is logistic support and tr ...
s, dive support vessels, anchor handling tugs,
survey vessel A survey vessel is any type of ship or boat that is used for underwater surveys, usually to collect data for mapping or planning underwater construction or mineral extraction. It is a type of research vessel, and may be designed for the purpo ...
s and emergency response vessels. By 2015, such vessels accounted for between 65% and 75% of the marine traffic at the harbour.


Orkney and Shetland Ferries

Aberdeen is the mainland terminus for passenger and freight ferry routes to
Orkney Orkney (; sco, Orkney; on, Orkneyjar; nrn, Orknøjar), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago in the Northern Isles of Scotland, situated off the north coast of the island of Great Britain. Orkney is 10 miles (16 km) north ...
and
Shetland Shetland, also called the Shetland Islands and formerly Zetland, is a subarctic archipelago in Scotland lying between Orkney, the Faroe Islands and Norway. It is the northernmost region of the United Kingdom. The islands lie about to the no ...
. The services are run by
NorthLink Ferries NorthLink Ferries (also referred to as Serco NorthLink Ferries) is an operator of passenger and vehicle ferries, as well as ferry services, between mainland Scotland and the Northern Isles of Orkney and Shetland. Since July 2012, it has been oper ...
which operates two passenger vessels, MV ''Hjaltland'' and MV ''Hrossey'', both of which entered service in 2002. The passenger terminal is located at Jamieson's Quay and there are nightly sailings to Shetland, with one vessel sailing from Aberdeen to
Lerwick Lerwick (; non, Leirvik; nrn, Larvik) is the main town and port of the Shetland archipelago, Scotland. Shetland's only burgh, Lerwick had a population of about 7,000 residents in 2010. Centred off the north coast of the Scottish mainland ...
while the other ship sails in the opposite direction. One ship will sail directly whilst the other stops at
Kirkwall Kirkwall ( sco, Kirkwaa, gd, Bàgh na h-Eaglaise, nrn, Kirkavå) is the largest town in Orkney, an archipelago to the north of mainland Scotland. The name Kirkwall comes from the Norse name (''Church Bay''), which later changed to ''Kirkv ...
in Orkney. NorthLink also operates two freight ferries, MV ''Hildasay'' and MV ''Helliar'', which provide a daily service to the islands carrying a wide range of cargo including vehicles, live-stock and fish, temperature-controlled foodstuffs, shipping containers, and out-sized loads. The freight ferries berth at ro-ro ramps located at Jamiesons Quay and Matthew's Quay North.


Governance


Harbour board

The Port of Aberdeen is a
trust port In the United Kingdom, a trust port is a port that is administered as a trust by an independent statutory body set up by an Act of Parliament and governed by its own set of rules and statutes. This is in contrast to a private port, which is priva ...
, owned and operated by Aberdeen Harbour Board. The board is an independent
statutory body A statutory body or statutory authority is a body set up by law (statute) that is authorised to implement certain legislation on behalf of the relevant country or state, sometimes by being empowered or delegated to set rules (for example reg ...
established by the Aberdeen Harbour Confirmation Act 1960, and amended by the Aberdeen Harbour Order Confirmation Act 1987. The board is responsible for the port's administration, maintenance and improvement. Unlike a privately owned port, there are no shareholders who require a dividend and all profits made from operations are reinvested into the port. The board consists of twelve members. The current
Chief Executive A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...
is Bob Sanguinetti and
Chairperson The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...
is Alistair Mackenzie. Aberdeen Harbour Board replaced the Aberdeen Harbour Commission, which was formed in 1843 and was revised through several
Acts of Parliament Acts of Parliament, sometimes referred to as primary legislation, are texts of law passed by the legislative body of a jurisdiction (often a parliament or council). In most countries with a parliamentary system of government, acts of parliament ...
during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.


Harbour board offices

Aberdeen Harbour Board are based in offices at 15-16 Regent Quay. The building designed by Scottish architect
Alexander Marshall Mackenzie Alexander Marshall MacKenzie (1 January 1848 – 4 May 1933) was a Scottish architect responsible for prestigious projects including the headquarters of the Isle of Man Banking Company in Douglas, and Australia House and the Waldorf Hotel in ...
was built between 1883 and 1885. Purpose-built for the harbour board, it signified the prosperity that the harbour was experiencing at the end of the nineteenth century. It is a four-storey, eight-bay block featuring a clock tower with a domed roof. It is constructed from ashlar grey
granite Granite () is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies undergro ...
to the principal elevations and tower, with coursed pink granite to the rear.


Naval associations

HMS ''Clyde'' was a
Royal Naval Reserve The Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) is one of the two volunteer reserve forces of the Royal Navy in the United Kingdom. Together with the Royal Marines Reserve, they form the Maritime Reserve. The present RNR was formed by merging the original Ro ...
training ship which was moored in the Upper Dock during the 19th century. The vessel was replaced in 1904 by a 1081-ton
man o' war Man o' War (March 29, 1917 – November 1, 1947) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who is widely regarded as the greatest racehorse of all time. Several sports publications, including ''The Blood-Horse'', ''Sports Illustrated'', ESPN, and ...
also named HMS ''Clyde'' (previously HMS ''Wild Swan''). It was connected to the quayside by a floating gangway and was open to the public on Sunday mornings. She was later relocated to Albert Quay and decommissioned around 1911.In 1967, Aberdeen University Royal Naval Unit (URNU) was established at the harbour. From 1991 until its relocation to Edinburgh in 2012, the unit operated HMS ''Archer'' (P264), an ''Archer-''class patrol vessel. HMS ''Diamond'' (D34), a Type-45 destroyer of the
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
commissioned in 2011 is affiliated with Aberdeen City. The vessel has visited Aberdeen Harbour during 2011, November 2015 and August 2018. During such visits the vessel has been open to the public and her crew has taken part in community and civic events. Naval vessels occasionally dock in Aberdeen whilst taking part in NATO's
Exercise Joint Warrior Exercise Joint Warrior is a major biannual multi-national military exercise which takes place in the United Kingdom, predominately in north west Scotland. It is the successor of the Neptune Warrior exercises and Joint Maritime Course. Joint W ...
which takes place in the seas around Scotland.


Natural heritage

The River Dee, including the stretch within the harbour boundaries, is designated as a
Special Area of Conservation A Special Area of Conservation (SAC) is defined in the European Union's Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), also known as the ''Directive on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora''. They are to protect the 220 habitats and ap ...
under the
European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...
's
Habitats Directive The Habitats Directive (more formally known as Council Directive 92/43/EEC on the Conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora) is a directive adopted by the European Community in 1992 as a response to the Berne Convention. The E ...
(92/43/EEC), because of its populations of
freshwater pearl mussel The freshwater pearl mussel (''Margaritifera margaritifera'') is an endangered species of freshwater mussel, an aquatic bivalve mollusc in the family Margaritiferidae. Although the name "freshwater pearl mussel" is often used for this species ...
,
Atlantic salmon The Atlantic salmon (''Salmo salar'') is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Salmonidae. It is the third largest of the Salmonidae, behind Siberian taimen and Pacific Chinook salmon, growing up to a meter in length. Atlantic salmon are ...
and
otter Otters are carnivorous mammals in the subfamily Lutrinae. The 13 extant otter species are all semiaquatic, aquatic, or marine, with diets based on fish and invertebrates. Lutrinae is a branch of the Mustelidae family, which also includes wea ...
. The harbour and Aberdeen Bay is frequented by a variety of marine mammals, including resident populations of
harbour porpoise The harbour porpoise (''Phocoena phocoena'') is one of eight extant species of porpoise. It is one of the smallest species of cetacean. As its name implies, it stays close to coastal areas or river estuaries, and as such, is the most familiar ...
,
bottlenose dolphin Bottlenose dolphins are aquatic mammals in the genus ''Tursiops.'' They are common, cosmopolitan members of the family Delphinidae, the family of oceanic dolphins. Molecular studies show the genus definitively contains two species: the common ...
,
grey seal The grey seal (''Halichoerus grypus'') is found on both shores of the North Atlantic Ocean. In Latin Halichoerus grypus means "hook-nosed sea pig". It is a large seal of the family Phocidae, which are commonly referred to as "true seals" or " ...
and
harbour seal The harbor (or harbour) seal (''Phoca vitulina''), also known as the common seal, is a true seal found along temperate and Arctic marine coastlines of the Northern Hemisphere. The most widely distributed species of pinniped (walruses, eared sea ...
as well as seasonal populations of
minke whale The minke whale (), or lesser rorqual, is a species complex of baleen whale. The two species of minke whale are the common (or northern) minke whale and the Antarctic (or southern) minke whale. The minke whale was first described by the Danish n ...
.


Built heritage


Navigation Control Centre (Roundhouse)

The former Navigation Control Centre (known as 'The Roundhouse', despite being an
octagon In geometry, an octagon (from the Greek ὀκτάγωνον ''oktágōnon'', "eight angles") is an eight-sided polygon or 8-gon. A '' regular octagon'' has Schläfli symbol and can also be constructed as a quasiregular truncated square, t, whi ...
, or as the 'Pilots House') is located at Pocra Quay. It is thought that it was constructed between 1797 and 1798, with the Shoremaster's accounts for that period indicating over £225 was spent constructing a ‘new house’ on the North Pier. Ten
guineas The guinea (; commonly abbreviated gn., or gns. in plural) was a coin, minted in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Great Britain between 1663 and 1814, that contained approximately one-quarter of an ounce of gold. The name came from t ...
were also recorded as being spent on a telescope for the ‘Lookout House’ on the North Pier. The building appears on a map of Footdee from 1803 and is the village's oldest. The building's purpose was to guide vessels to the harbour, this originally being carried out by the harbour pilots using
megaphone A megaphone, speaking-trumpet, bullhorn, blowhorn, or loudhailer is usually a portable or hand-held, cone-shaped acoustic horn used to amplify a person's voice or other sounds and direct it in a given direction. The sound is introduced into ...
from a platform forming part of the roof of the original two-storey structure, or by a series of wicker balls attached to a mast rising from the platform. The building was extended in 1966 when the control tower section was added and in 1974 a
radar system Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance (''ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, ...
was introduced. It was updated again in 1986, when
Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...
unveiled a plaque, commemorating '850 years of Harbour History'. The Roundhouse's role was replaced by the Marine Operations Centre in 2006, with the harbour board retaining ownership of the building and leasing it out as office space. The building was
category C listed This is a list of Category A listed buildings in Scotland, which are among the listed buildings of the United Kingdom. For a fuller list, see the pages linked on List of listed buildings in Scotland. Key The organization of the lists in th ...
in July 2007. It is described by
Historic Environment Scotland Historic Environment Scotland (HES) ( gd, Àrainneachd Eachdraidheil Alba) is an executive non-departmental public body responsible for investigating, caring for and promoting Scotland's historic environment. HES was formed in 2015 from the mer ...
as a rare survivor of its type, notable for its unusual octagonal form and relatively early construction date.


Scarty’s Monument

Scarty's Monument is a brick
obelisk An obelisk (; from grc, ὀβελίσκος ; diminutive of ''obelos'', " spit, nail, pointed pillar") is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape or pyramidion at the top. Originally constructed by Anc ...
located at Pocra Quay, named after a
harbour pilot A harbor (American English), harbour (British English; American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, see spelling differences), or haven is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be docked. The term ''harb ...
who kept watch during poor weather from the North Pier in the mid 19th century. Rather than being an actual monument, it is in fact a ventilator shaft for a disused sewer that discharged into the harbour navigation channel.


6 Regent Road

6 Regent Road (also known as United House) located between the Victoria and Albert Docks, is an example of a late 19th century warehouse associated with the harbour. Once numerous around the harbour, few such warehouses now survive. Constructed from granite with a slate roof, it is three-storeys in height and features a distinctive M-shaped
gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...
. The building was category C listed in July 2007.


Drainage buildings

A pair of
public works Public works are a broad category of infrastructure projects, financed and constructed by the government, for recreational, employment, and health and safety uses in the greater community. They include public buildings ( municipal buildings, sc ...
drainage buildings dating from 1906 are situated on Mearns Quay and Torry Quay, on opposite sides of the River Dee. The two polished grey granite ashlar buildings are described by Historic Environment Scotland as being of some quality with fine Classical architectural detailing and
cast-iron Cast iron is a class of iron–carbon alloys with a carbon content more than 2%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloy constituents affect its color when fractured: white cast iron has carbide impuriti ...
rainwater goods. It is also noted that functional buildings of this type with such attention to detail are rare and that they contribute significantly to the built environment of the harbour. They were category C listed in July 2007.


Abercrombie Jetty

Located at Pocra Quay adjacent to the Roundhouse, the Abercrombie Jetty (also known as the 'Catch Pier') was constructed in 1789 as part of wider harbour improvements. Its purpose was to limit waves generated by the new north pier from the entering the navigation channel. Its namesake was the Provost of the time, John Abercrombie (1729-1820). Once finished the jetty itself proved to be a significant danger to navigation, and therefore was largely removed, with only a small part remaining. A carved stone commemorating Abercrombie exists at the base of the structure.


See also

*
List of ports and harbours in Scotland This is a list of ports and harbours in Scotland based on Department for Transport data. See also * List of RNLI stations#Scotland Division * List of ports and harbours of the Atlantic Ocean#United Kingdom * List of North Sea ports#United Kin ...
*
List of North Sea ports This is a list of ports of the North Sea and its influent rivers. :''Note: this list does not include ports on the Skagerrak, the Kattegat, or the English Channel.'' Belgium Denmark France *Dunkerque Germany Netherlands Norway United Ki ...
* North Sea oil and gas industry


References


Sources

* * *


External links

*
Aberdeen Built Ships
– database of 3000+ vessels built in Aberdeen
Aberdeen Harbour Board Photography Collection (University of Aberdeen)Live webcam feed of Aberdeen Harbour (Seacroft Marine)
{{UK Docks Ports and harbours of the North Sea Transport operators of Scotland Port operating companies Ports and harbours of Scotland Companies based in Aberdeen History of Aberdeen Transport in Aberdeen