Peterhead: Largescale investment underlines long-term commitment
3rd May 2018
Next month will herald the dawn of a new era at Peterhead, when the port’s 10,000-box whitefish market,
built as part of the £53m North Harbour development, is used for the first time. David Linkie reports
Faithlie is one of 10 new vessels built in the past two years now landing regularly at Peterhead.
This blue-flag project will further strengthen Peterhead’s position as the foremost fishing centre in Britain and one of the leading ports in Europe.
It also highlights the almost unprecedented levels of confidence stakeholders have in the future of the fishing industry.
Forward momentum is an important catalyst in long-term confidence and commitment, with largescale developments such as the North Harbour encouraging further significant new projects at Peterhead.
Box Pool Solutions is scheduled to move into new purpose-built premises this summer, while Scanmar UK has recently opened new workshop facilities.
Over the next two years, several new demersal and pelagic vessels will begin to land into Peterhead with varying degrees of regularity.
This continues the succession of new boats that have started fishing from Peterhead in the past 24 months, during which time eight demersal and two pelagic vessels landed their first trips.
Lorries backed into Peterhead fishmarket, which will be demolished next month in the same week as the new whitefish landing hub opens in the North Harbour.
Promoted by healthy and sustainable stock levels, this level of reinvestment, in turn, generates valuable orders for a wide range of service and supply companies, some of which are well-established family firms.
Peterhead established a new port record last year with a total catch value of £195m.
In the first quarter of 2018, the catch value is £1.2m higher than for the same period in last year. Whitefish landings to the Merchant’s Quay market are 23,412 boxes higher in the first 16 weeks of this year, an increase of 6%.
