Increases in cargo, passengers and mackerel landings helped the UK’s Port of Lerwick achieve forecast traffic levels in the half-year to June, 2014, compared with the same period in 2013.
The total for all cargoes handled at the port rose 8%, with combined ferry and cruise passengers jumping 13.8%.
The number of vessel arrivals, at 2,230, was down 11%, mainly due to a decrease in fishing vessels – also reflected in white fish landings which declined due to bad weather in the early part of the year, vessel refits and boats on charter to the oil industry.
The tonnage of vessels at 5.5 million gross tonnes was down 10%, principally due to an expected decrease in offshore industry bulk carriers/pipe-burying vessels compared with project work last year.
The decrease was seen in the forecast drop in oil-related vessel tonnage, down 24% to 1.4 million gross tonnes. However, oil-related arrivals held steady, at 307, as did offshore industry cargo – at 92,135 tonnes, less than one percent down.
By Jake Frith
