Perth as a port

“The illustration of Perth Lower harbour in a recent “Nostalgic Courier Country Prints” advertisement showed the dock in the Friarton suburb of the city during one of its high profile occasions,” emails John Aitken, Montrose Port Authority Honorary Archivist and formerly of Perth.

“Big ships, long ships, far-travelled ships, unusual ports of registry and more British-owned coasters provided the highlights for 1971, the year the photograph was taken. That period had seen the consolidation of recently acquired seaborne harbour traffic building up to an annual throughput of 100,000 tons of cargo.

“Commodities handled included steel, timber, lime, malting barley, bulk and bagged fertilisers, basic slag, salt, maize, scrap metal and chemicals. A total of 208 vessels had berthed alongside the quays as against 170 the previous year.

“International trade had expanded with export grain cargoes to Catania (Sicily), Rijeka (formerly Yugoslavia) and Savona (Italy). Imports had broadened their catchment area with timber coming in from several ports in Finland, steel from Spain, Denmark, The Netherlands and Belgium.

“More Uk-flagged ships made their appearance but foreign-owned merchantmen still dominated the scene with those flying flags of convenience continuing to increase.

“Vessels in the photograph were, left to right, Eddystone (Dutch), Hardy Merchant (British), Paris (Dutch) and Capricorn (Dutch/netherlands Antilles). In addition, two other ships were in port on that day, Inger Victor (Danish) and Crouch (British) making it a busy period.

“Perth’s origins as a port date back many centuries when early types of merchant shipping to and from the Low Countries and the Hanse Towns laid the foundations of the 1970s prosperous trading environment. Of course there have been depressed periods also as in the Second World War and its immediate aftermath when the port virtually closed its doors to foreign trade.

“Nevertheless the harbour at the end of Shore Road can still accommodate modern ships of up to 90 metres in length and remains a natural route centre as it did for the merchant princes of long ago.”