NEW DEVELOPMENTS

The Port of Inverness recently announced its sixth consecutive year of growth as it prepares for the biggest expansion in its 300-year history.
Speaking as the port's accounts were published, Captain Murdo MacLeod, Chief Executive of Inverness Harbour Trust, said: “The year to September 2005 was another great year for the port, with turnover up and net profits of over £450,000.
“We saw an increase in imports of petrol products, timber, salt and coal and began exporting sterling board to Turkey, our farthest destination to date.
“We also submitted our application for a harbour revision order to the Scottish Executive and received the go-ahead in October 2005.”
Construction is beginning to reclaim about 8 hectares of land from the existing mudflats at the mouth of the River Ness. The development will include new port facilities and lay down areas, opportunities for more office development, a new yacht marina and new visitor facilities.
And the Port of Inverness is playing a key role in the international shipping network with the installation of new technology that gathers vital information about the movement of ships all around the world.
Lloyd's Marine Intelligence Unit (LMIU), the world leader in gathering information on the vessels, companies and people that make up the shipping industry, have chosen Inverness as one of the latest locations for their Automatic Ship Identification System (AIS) signal receiving stations.
Captain Ken Maclean, Harbourmaster said: “With the introduction of this new system the Port of Inverness is joining a global network that is helping to modernise the gathering of information on shipping position and movements.
“We've always provided data to LMIU but we used to send them information about the movement of ships to and from the port by email. This new system communicates with transmitters on board all ships and sends the information to a central computer via the internet. Information is now passed in real time, 24 hours a day, every day.”
And because the Harbour Trust has agreed to host the equipment LMIU has given the port free use of a website that allows staff to see a graphical display of ships coming into and out of the port from 25 miles away. As well as giving them a location they can check information about each ship, its type and its owner.