93 arrivals for the period
Whitefish totalled 5,900 boxes from five Scottish trawl and two Anglo freezer netter landings. Scottish efforts continue to concentrate at Rockall targeting haddock and monkfish; a handful of vessels are trying their luck between the summer storms. The Anglo freezer fleet works up to twelve-week trips, fishing west in deepwater processing and freezing their monkfish catches at sea.
Shellfish activity was once again busy. There were forty-two landings from visiting prawn trawlers combined with the local prawn and lobster catches.
Non-fishing was the usual mixed bag. There were thirty calls from various aquaculture vessels, seven scheduled visits from cruise liners, multiple visits from the SEPA/Marine Scotland water sampling survey vessel Sir John Murray. The cable survey vessel Mintaka called in for a crew change, tugs Camperdown and Peterel were in for fuel on their way to Loch Ewe to assist a tanker and tall ships Flying Dutchman and Bel Espoir (pictured) visited for layovers. The French-owned schooner Bel Espoir, built in 1944, made her maiden call on her way south to the Irish Sea with a full crew of young and enthusiastic sail trainees.
The leisure sector has been fairly busy; a number of vessels have been trying out the pontoons and often staying for a few days until the weather improves.
Some good news – Ullapool Harbour Trust in partnership with Transport Scotland, contractors RJ Mcleod, Inland and Coastal Marina Systems and designers Wallace Stone, scooped the top prize at the 2024 Annual Scottish Civil Engineering Awards last Friday. A total of twenty construction projects competed for various accolades and Ullapool’s Promenade and Inner Harbour development were awarded the Best Overall Project 2024. The judges commented that the project was a perfect example of collaboration and teamwork with excellent community input and support throughout. Congratulations Ullapool on a job well done.