Hazardous pipe brought ashore
A LARGE metal pipe from a barge wreck off the Bard of Bressay had to be taken ashore for scrapping this week.
Harbour tug the Knab retrieved the 26m pipe, the top end of which was just below the surface, on Wednesday morning because of the danger it posed to passing vessels after it was first reported to the harbour office last week. One end of the pipe was sunk and the other end was floating, meaning they had to winch the bottom end up, and it was taken to Victoria Pier from where a crane removed it for scrapping.
Meanwhile, business has been fairly buoyant with a steady stream of yachts, supply boats, tankers and four cruise liners keeping the harbour staff on their toes. The biggest of the cruise ships was the 200m Prinsendam, from the Netherlands, which came in on Monday from Reykjavik before heading off for Leith. The 145m Bahamas-registered C Columbus came in from Hamburg on Tuesday en route to Iceland. The Kristina Regina made two visits on its route between Finland, Orkney and the mainland.
Barges Forth Sentinel and Barge Sprucelight arrived at the Greenhead Base in the second half of last week to assist with ongoing dredging work in the harbour.
The cable ship Wave Sentinel also arrived to undertake decommissioning work last Wednesday.
Fifty-six metre oil supply vessel Adams Nomad arrived last week and is to be tied up at Shetland Catch for around 10 days.
Greater Manchester, a yacht which had been taking part in the Tall Ships in Norway, arrived from Måløy on Tuesday to drop off a crew member in need of medical assistance.
Pelagic trawler The Research is in at Victoria Pier this week as it prepares for the start of the herring season in less than a fortnight’s time.
