Orkney Harbours

As 2024 comes to a close, we’d like to take a moment to offer our most sincere thanks to the staff and partners of Orkney Harbours, many of whom will be working over the festive period. From the quayside workers at Orkney Ferries to our Vessel Traffic Services staff and everyone in between, you keep these islands running 24/7, 365 days a year.

Welcome Ankit, one of our new Assistant Harbour Masters 👋 Originally from India, Ankit has experience as a management-level Deck Officer on mega containers, trading worldwide. He’ll be overseeing harbour activities including, including the movement and loading of vessels. Having joined in April, Ankit has already expressed his gratitude for the open-armed welcome from Orkney’s friendly and helpful community.

A warm welcome to Kyrylo 👋 One of our new Assistant Harbour Masters, Kyrylo joined us in April to support our Harbour Master and Deputy Masters in ensuring safe and efficient operations. With an extensive background in the maritime industry, Kyrylo began his seagoing career in 2014, working on bulkers, container ships and ferries. Originally from Ukraine, Kyrylo has settled in quickly and has been taken aback by the warm welcome received from Orcadians. #Orkney #OrkneyHarbours

The 2024 cruise season has sailed off into the sunset so we reflect on what has been an outstanding year 🌅 We’re always working to enhance our cruise offering, improving the experience of passengers, cruise lines, and the local Orcadian community. With a record 223 callers and 213,785 passengers we are proud to say each of our visitors left with a sense of what makes Orkney truly special: our rich history, vibrant culture, and, of course, the warmth of our people. This year, by joining the Environmental Port Index (EPI), we’ve demonstrated our commitment to reducing emissions of berthed vessels. We also introduced a new booking policy to manage visitor numbers better, ensuring a more sustainable cruise season. Additionally, our colleagues throughout Orkney Islands Council have helped us in making sure the necessary services and infrastructure are ready for our visitors. And finally, we’ve had a fantastic time at Hatston Pier, as you’ll see in these photos! #OrkneyCruise #CruiseScotland #CruiseIndustry #CruiseBritain #Cruise

Honouring the sacrifices of those who came before us, we were proud to participate in Kirkwall’s Remembrance Sunday event. We were proud to be involved in the Remembrance Sunday service that honoured the lives of the men and women who served their country. As a proud maritime community, with a deep and long-running connection with our armed services, Remembrance Sunday holds an enduring significance to the people of Orkney. 📸 Bruce Flett #RemembranceSunday #LestWeForget #RememberingOurHeroes #PoppyDay #OrkneyHistory

Our Marine Environmental Unit (MEU) were in Glasgow last week for MASTS Scotland's Annual Science Meeting. Dr. Jenni Kakkonen was joined by Prof. John Baxter for a talk on the MEU and the importance of long-term monitoring in protecting our marine environments. The team also hosted a stand at the conference, engaging with stakeholders across the marine sector to discuss MEU programmes, answer questions, and raise awareness about the critical role of marine monitoring initiatives. It was a fantastic opportunity to catch up with colleagues and friends, as well as making new connections. MEU and Orkney Harbours are expanding their monitoring programme with three new PhD projects. We are looking forward to working with Elinor Spencer from UHI Shetland, Emmy Cooper-Young from Heriot-Watt University and Thomas Baxter from University of St Andrews. #MASTSASM2024

We’re proud to announce, that on their 50th anniversary, our Marine Environmental Unit (MEU) will be presenting at MASTS Scotland's Annual Science Meeting. Dr Jenni Kakkonen, Team Manager of the MEU, will be joined by Professor John Baxter, Chair of the Orkney Independent Marine Advisory Group, to discuss the MEU’s origins as a biological monitoring programme created to identify if there were any impacts from the then-new Flotta Oil Terminal. As of 2024, the scope of the MEU’s work has expanded greatly, and they are now involved in a range of monitoring studies that highlight the importance of such long-term programmes. In addition to their talk, “Fifty years and counting - Marine monitoring in Orkney”, the team will have a stand at the event where attendees can learn more about the MEU’s work from Dr Kakkonen, Katy Beaton and Prof. Baxter. For the full event programme 👉 https://lnkd.in/duQKJDh 📍 Technology and Innovation Centre, Glasgow 📅 Tuesday 5th November 🕒 10:05-10:35

Following the new Labour government's Autumn Budget, we were pleased to hear the chancellor acknowledge that more investment is needed in our ports and harbours. We were disappointed, however, that no specific funding has been allocated to secure this vital sector. More still needs to be done for ports and harbours across the UK to flourish. We look forward to working with the new Labour Government and our stakeholders, to realise their ambitions of delivering clean energy by 2030.

On Saturday we waved goodbye to the last of our 2024 callers, Oceania Cruises' Sirena. It has been an exceptional year with 222 calls and 213,176 passengers across 12 different locations. Many customs have been shared and friendships have been made. We hope each of our guests has taken a peedie bit of Orkney away with them. #Cruise #CruiseIndustry #CruiseScotland #CruiseBritain

Last week’s Floating Offshore Wind conference in Aberdeen reminded us of both the incredible opportunity at our doorstep and the continuing uncertainty over infrastructure investment. We share our thoughts in our most recent blog 👉 https://lnkd.in/efDirdsv