Boost at harbour
Traffic through Perth Harbour has more than trebled since it was taken over by CalMac over two years ago.
The Gourock-based port and ferry operator took on the facility in July 2018.
At the time the port was experiencing a marked decline of trade because shippers tend to charter larger vessels which it cannot accommodate.
But CalMac revealed this week that traffic had increased by over 200 per cent in the last 24 months.
Highlights in that time have included a record cargo on one shipment of over 4000 cubic metres of timber and a visit by the 2500 tonnes Wilson Thames, the largest vessel handled by the port in recent years.
CalMac’s head of ports and harbours Cameron MacPhail revealed the figure during a visit by Perth Wishart MP.
He said: “When we took over this contract we wanted to breathe new life into the harbour.
“We saw it as a much underused income generation stream for the council and wanted to see it developed again as a valuable resource for the town.
“We are clearly delivering on this and have ambitions to grow traffic even more in the future.”
Mr Wishart said: “What CalMac have done since they came in has been very impressive.
“The harbour is a huge asset for the town and the wider area but had been underused in recent years.
“Bringing in CalMac as a partner to provide the expertise needed has proved an excellent decision.
“Their expertise and experience of running 50 ports and slipways on the west coast is helping to breathe new life into this gateway to the east coast.”
Cargos handled in the past year include timber, aggregates, the mineral barite and fishmeal.