Gordon worked for the Department of Harbours for 13 years in the post of Marine Officer manning the marine operations room. A presentation of a card signed by work collegues within the department was presented to Gordon by Captain Nigel Mills, Director of Harbours.

A collection of £100.00 was raised which Gordon has requested  be given to the Soldiers,Sailors, Airmen and Families Association (SSAFA)

A number of work colleagues attended the presentation which Gordon thought would be his last after nearly 50 years in uniform.

Alexander Filipenko, Governor of the Ugra region in western Siberia, is meeting a delegation from the north of Scotland this week.

He will be presented with the invitation from Orkney Islands Council Convener, Councillor Stephen Hagan, along with a new promotional brochure, produced by the Council’s Harbours Department, that details Scapa Flow’s impressive track record as an oil port.

Senior figures from Ugra's oil and gas industries will also be invited to join Governor Filipenko on a fact-finding visit to Orkney.

The delegation from Scotland includes Highlands and Islands MSP Rob Gibson and Bob Miller, an Orkney-based representative of the Russian Hour TV service.

Their visit to Ugra follows the unveiling in Orkney of a new stone marking the first manned space flight, by the Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin.

This now forms part of the timeline of stones, each marking momentous events in human history, that lines the path leading to Scara Brae.

Oleg Goncharov, a deputy chairman of the Ugra Government, was among the guests at the unveiling ceremony.

He asked Mr Gibson and Mr Miller to make a follow-up visit to Ugra, a vast region with rich oil and gas deposits.

Councillor Hagan said: “Orkney stands almost exactly halfway between St Petersburg and Nova Scotia. This places Scapa Flow at an important position on the main shipping route linking Russia and Northern Europe with the USA eastern seaboard and the Gulf of Mexico. Covering 50 square miles, we have  Europe’s largest sheltered deep-water oil port.

“The new brochure highlights Scapa Flow's unrivalled reputation as a safe location for ship-to-ship oil and gas transfer operations.”

Once the technical problems have been resolved the broadcasts will be put out on vhf ch 20 as described.

We apologise for any confusion in the short term since the introduction of the port VTS Information Service.

Robbie started in the post on Monday 16th June and is presently completing on the job training prior to assuming VTS Operator duties.

Robbie replaces Lt Cmdr Gordon Ivol who has retired from the department on completing his last night shift on 7th May. Best wishes go to Gordon for a long and happy retirement.

The image shows Robbie in the marine operations during his training period.

FUEL SURCHARGE

Due to the ever increasing fuel prices Orkney Islands Council, Harbours Department will levy the following scale of surcharges with effect from Monday 23^rd June 2008.

1)

Composite charge

Tanker calling at the Flotta Terminal or STS transfer – Tug services                    £1260

Tanker calling at the Flotta Terminal or STS transfer – Pilot Boat services           £    90

Non composite charge

Minimum surcharge per tug for three hour minimum period of hire per tug              £260

Per hour surcharge thereafter per tug                                                                              £  85

Boarding and landing fee - a surcharge for each boarding/landing fee                    £   30

For the hire of the launch - per hour surcharge                                                       £  15

2)

                That, should the price of marine gas oil reach 70.0p/litre, a further surcharge of 15% should be applied to the rates detailed at paragraph  1) above, resulting in the following total surcharges:-

   Composite charge

Tanker calling at the Flotta Terminal or STS transfer – Tug services                    £1449

Tanker calling at the Flotta Terminal or STS transfer – Pilot Boat services        £  113

Non composite charge

Minimum surcharge per tug for three hour minimum period of hire per tug           £ 299

Per hour surcharge thereafter per tug                                                                           £   98

Boarding and landing fee - a surcharge for each boarding/landing fee                  £   34

For the hire of the launch - per hour surcharge                                                     £  17

Director of Harbours

17 June 2008

Details of amemdments to Admiralty List of Radio Signals Volume 6 can be found on the home page of this site  or http://www.orkneyharbours.com/Port%20VTS%20Information%20Service%20reporting%20details.pdf which details vessels affected,  reporting points along with details requested.

Further details  can be obtained from the Stromness and Kirkwall Piermaster's.

Compliance with the port VTS is compulsory for all applicable vessels.

Scapa Flow Container Port designated a ‘National Development’, January 2008

The draft National Planning Framework, issued by the Scottish Government in January 2008, designates the Scapa Flow Container Transhipment Port as a national development.

The draft NPF can be obtained at www.scotland.gov.uk/publications/2008/01/07093039/0

Consultation on the draft is taking place at present, with a finalised document due to be published in October 2008.

A total of only nine projects are designated in the draft NPF as national developments. The legislation requires that if the National Planning Framework designates a project as a national development it must contain a statement by Scottish Ministers of their reasons for considering that there is a need for that development.  Projects which may be identified as national developments are those which:

• make a significant contribution to Scotland's sustainable economic development;
• strengthen Scotland's links to the rest of the world;
• deliver strategic improvements in internal connectivity;
• make a significant contribution to the achievement of climate change, renewable energy or waste management targets;
• are essential elements of a programme of investment in national infrastructure; or
• raise strategic issues of more than regional importance.

The projects which Ministers propose to designate as national developments are considered to be essential to the delivery of the spatial strategy set out in the second National Planning Framework. They will contribute to the Government's objective of building a Scotland that is wealthier and fairer; greener; safer and stronger; smarter and healthier.

The environmental effects of the projects are addressed in the accompanying draft Environmental Report. An environmental assessment of the NPF is being undertaken, and this will focus particularly on those projects which might affect a site designated under the EC Wild Birds and Habitats Directives.

Projects designated as national developments will still require to secure planning permission, but Ministers may intervene at any stage of the process to ensure that decision are made expeditiously. Designation in the National Planning Framework is the mechanism for establishing the need for these projects. Any subsequent examination of the detailed planning implications, whether by a session of a public inquiry or a hearing, will therefore be concerned with matters such as siting, design and the mitigation of environmental impacts, not (unless material considerations indicate otherwise) the principle of the development.

The action programme for the second National Planning Framework will specify how, when and by whom national developments will be taken forward. The Monitoring Report for the second National Planning Framework will report on progress in delivering national developments.

The detailed information on the Scapa Flow Container Transhipment Facilitygiven in the draft NPF is as follows

1. Description of development

International container transhipment facility utilising the sheltered deep water of Scapa Flow.

2. Location

Scapa Flow, Orkney.

3. Elements covered by designation

Land-based development and offshore operations to provide an international container transhipment facility at Scapa Flow. Supporting landside infrastructure. Associated environmental works.

4. Need for development

Orkney provides one of Scotland's 11 major ports, which together are of strategic importance to Scotland's long-term economic development. The sheltered deep water at Scapa Flow represents a major opportunity to meet the needs of the international shipping industry, offering the potential for Scotland to become a significant global player in container cargo handling and transhipment to the benefit of the national and local economy. The increasing size of container ships combined with capacity constraints at existing ports is giving rise to a need for accessible deep water transhipment facilities. The ability of Scapa Flow to accommodate the largest container ships and its location in relation to major shipping routes mean that it is well placed to provide a break-bulk transhipment facility serving European markets.

5. Need for designation

The development is key to meeting the demand for accessible deep water transhipment facilities in Scotland and in Europe.

6. Matters to be addressed at consent stage

Siting and layout, possible secondary effects on nearby SPAs, and a Site of Local Nature Conservation Interest; effects on the historic environment, including protected buildings and structures, wider historical associations and marine archaeology; effects on landscape, seascape and biodiversity; risk of contamination; the yard handling system; and measures to minimise and mitigate any other environmental impacts.

Environmental assessment, environmental impact assessment and appropriate assessment (under the Habitats Directive) of the development will all be required.

7. Action Programme

This will mean a number of changes to the present port control operation for the Competent Harbour Authority (CHA) areas of Scapa Flow and approaches including the Flotta Oil Terminal, Wide Firth and Shapinsay Sound, Kirkwall and Stromness Harbours.

The changes will affect: -

1.        All vessels over 12.0m LOA when within, entering or leaving the CHA area with regard to VHF reporting. (Reduction in length from 20.0m LOA)

2.        Port VHF working channels. (Changes to Kirkwall and Stromness Harbour radio from VHF ch 12 to 14 and weather broadcasts moving from VHF ch 11 to 20.

3.        Orkney Harbour Radio call sign. ( Changing to Orkney VTS)

4.        Information provided by vessels and the port. (Traffic information to vessels from the VTS and information on position, route, ETA, intentions from reporting vessels.

We intend to have a presentation on Wednesday 23rd April at 19:30hrs in the Conference Room at the Harbour Authority Building Scapa to introduce the new service and give the opportunity to discuss the intended changes to operations within the CHA areas. Boat owners and interested parties are welcome to attend.

You will also have the opportunity to visit the marine operations room to see where the service is operated from as well as meet some of the Marine Officers who are responsible for the day to day operation of the VTS.

The Orkney Harbours website is now an important part of the service provided by the Department of Harbours and since the introduction of the website in late March 2005 the number of visitors to the website has continued to grow.

Our website statistics show that from January to March 2008 the website has a daily average of 1038.6 sessions with a total of 32180 for the whole three month period.

As part of the redevelopment we are now including advertising space for marine and port related companies to take up.

Any companies wishing to consider this should contact Northstar New-Media at tel 01856 851 747 or e-mail info@northstar-newmedia.co.uk.

Captain Nigel Mills, Director of Harbours Orkney Islands Council, is the current Chairman of Scottish Ports Committee.

The Scottish ports industry today launched a new economic valuation and policy document which underlines the economic importance of ports to the Scottish economy. Ports in Scotland – ‘Delivering Value’ was launched at a meeting of the Scottish Ports Committee, Scotland’s only forum for the ports industry, in Peterhead today.

Presenting the document to Stewart Stevenson, the Scottish Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change, Nigel Mills, the Committee’s Chairman and Director of Harbours at Orkney Islands Council, spoke of the crucial economic role that Scottish ports play in supporting Scottish industry. The initiative is the first example of such a document to be compiled collectively by the ports sector in Scotland. Captain Mills said:

Captain Mills also detailed some of the Committee’s policy objectives. These include the need for discussions on future capacity needs and greater efficiency in the planning and consents system. Captain Mills added:

Stewart Stevenson attended the meeting where he met with key industry figures. Mr Stevenson heard how the policy document demonstrates that ports in Scotland have a unique relationship supporting communities and industry. Sectors such as fishing, oil and gas and cruise tourism rely on ports to provide a base and focal point for their industry. Commenting on the new-styled industry-led policy initiative Mr Stevenson welcomed the move.

Ports in Scotland – ‘Delivering Value’ also includes statistical analysis of the sector in Scotland. Key findings and themes are:

1. • Scottish ports handle a greater proportion of freight per person (21 tonnes) than anywhere else in the UK
2. • They handle more than 10.5 million passenger movements each year
3. • More than two thirds of Scotland’s exports leave through Scottish ports
4. • In 2006 Scottish ports dominated the British fishing industry with the majority of the UK’s total fish landings made at Scottish ports
5. • The waterborne transportation of goods and passengers has a dramatically lower carbon footprint than the road, rail and aviation sectors.