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Aberdeen Harbour (now rebranded as the Port of Aberdeen) was established in 1136 and is the UK's oldest business. It is also Scotland's largest berthage port. Located at the estuary of the River Dee, the harbour has been a feature in the city for almost 900 years and has evolved considerably since 1136. Throughout its early history, the harbour provided a base for the fishing, cargo and ship building industries. More recently, since the 1970s, it has provided support to the offshore oil and gas industry operating in the North Sea.
The existing North Harbour receives around 6,500 vessels annually and required expansion to support larger cargo and cruise vessels, and the offshore wind energy industry. The panorama shows the new South Harbour, constructed at a cost of £420 million and opened in 2023. The South Harbour expansion provides an additional 1,400 metres of quay at water depths up to 10.5 metres.
The panorama also shows Girdle Ness Lighthouse, operated by the Northern Lighthouse Board. The lighthouse was designed by Robert Stevenson and entered service in 1833. Illumination was originally provided by Argand lamps burning sperm oil. Automated electric lamp arrays are now employed and the lighthouse is remotely monitored from the Northern Lighthouse Board’s headquarters in Edinburgh.
The two masts adjacent to the lighthouse support a MF NDB antenna. The NDB provided ships with bearing information to the lighthouse. The NDB is no longer in use and the mast and antenna will be removed in the future.
The nearby foghorn, constructed in 1902 was operated when visibility fell below 5 miles. The foghorn ceased operation in 1987 and was saved from demolition in 2003.
Canon 500D, Sigma 8mm fisheye, Nodal Ninja 3 MKII VR head, Photomatix, PTGui, Pano2VR, Photoshop.
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