Council’s harbours show healthy profit for past year

All Shetland’s council-run harbours showed a profit for 2014/15, according to figures given to the SIC harbour board on Tuesday.

Finance chief Jonathan Belford said the situation, with a combined profit of more than £2 million, was “very positive”.

Sullom Voe has shown a profit of £657,000, Scalloway a profit of £840,000 and other smaller piers have made a profit of £448,000.

At Sullom Voe the profit came from underspending on fuel due to low global prices, while other savings were due to job vacancies, including in management and engineering, and an underspending on the Gluss navigational aids.

However, there were five fewer tanker movements than expected during the year, with a total of 80 tanker movements during the year, resulting in £354,000 less that anticipated.

Scalloway had increased income from the accommodation barge and vessel, which have been there longer than expected, bringing in harbour dues, storage charges, equipment hire and charges for metered water.

There have also been increased fish and salmon landings, thanks to higher fish stocks and increased quotas.

This has also been the situation at Cullivoe, where the upturn in the fishing industry has generated a profit of £93,000, and increased salmon landings at Mid Yell have yielded a profit of £66,000.

Vacancies in management and engineering jobs for the smaller piers have produced a saving of £204,000, and work to Skerries navigational aids has been delayed, saying £50,000.

In addition, management changes across all terminals have accounted for savings of £448,000.

Harbour board chairwoman Andrea Manson said it had been the best year for some time.

She said: “It’s good the council has seen the benefit from the gas plant and accommodation vessels at Scalloway, and there’s been a lot more fish at Cullivoe and Scalloway. It’s all very positive for a change.”