Air / Bus / Rail / Ferry Services News
30/3/2014
Gills Harbour Works Repair Storm Damage
Works have been going on at the Inner Basin of Gills Harbour, on the North coast of Caithness, during the past few weeks. The project, which is being undertaken mostly using large back-hoe excavators, is mainly aimed at removing boulders and loose jagged rocks from the Basin's sea-floor.
24/3/2014
Business and tourism boost for regional airports
Increased demand for business and tourism flights saw passenger numbers grow by more than 5,100 at HIAL’s regional airports last month. Latest figures show the number of passengers using the airports in February increased by 5.9% to 92,607, compared to February 2013.
9/2/2014
C-Odyssey at Gills Harbour 
Report - Bill Mowatt The flagship of the largest fleet of 'marine renewables support vessels' in Pentland Firth & Orkney Waters has been on a two-day operational working visit to Gills Harbour in Caithness. The versatile C-Odyssey has been specifically designed to service the fledgling industry and was delivered new to owners/operators Leask Marine Ltd, of Kirkwall, Orkney Islands, from a shipyard in Rotterdam, Netherlands in 2011, at a reported cost of over £3 million.
5/2/2014
Wick John OGroats Airport well Placed To Become Energy Gateway
Wick John O'Groats Airport is well placed to capture a greater share of the energy market, says Airport Station Manager William Sutherland. His remarks followed a visit by Alan Simpson, Integrated Planning and Turnaround Manager at Chevron, to mark the end of the company's year-long presence at the airport.
24/1/2014
Impromptu Meeting With A Top UK Cabinet Minister At Gills
The three officer-bearers of the community company which owns and operates Gills Harbour, the Scottish mainland’s most Northerly port in Caithness, held a surprise impromptu meeting with a top UK Cabinet Minister on Friday 24th January, 2014. The Rt.23/1/2014
Serco Northlink Ferries Welcomes New look Hamnavoe Back To Service
Northlink Ferries is set to welcome the MV Hamnavoe back to service on Friday, 24 January 2014, complete with new livery. The photo here shows Hamnavoe on 5th January before the makeover.
21/1/2014
A New Class Of Ship Will Match Pentland Firth Conditions
Mojo Maritime reaches a major milestone in building the Hi Flo 4 offshore construction vessel. Mojo Maritime has signed, on 16 January, a Memorandum of Understanding with Hammonia Reederei GmbH & Co.
6/12/2013
TOP-LEVEL TEAM FROM THE CROWN ESTATE VISITS GILLS HARBOUR.
A high-powered team from the Crown Estate visited Gills Harbour this week where it met directors of its Canisbay community-owned port and its (partial) lessee Mr Andrew Banks, managing director of Pentland Ferries Ltd. 'Preliminary discussions' on several matters of mutual interest took place, including a brief introduction to and description of the present 'Coastal Community Fund'.
15/11/2013
Wick John O'Groats Passenger Numbers Increase Again
HIAL passenger numbers up by 10%. The number of air passengers using Scotland’s regional airports grew by more than 10% last month.
4/11/2013
MSP Praises Airport Usage Increase
Visiting Wick John O’Groats Airport recently, Highlands and Islands (Scottish Labour) MSP Rhoda Grant has praised the boost in airport usage by around 120 % due to the increased demand from the energy industry. Chevron uses Wick John O' Groats Airport as its base to transport offshore workers to its rigs.
24/10/2013
HIE Team Visits Gills Harbour
TOP-LEVEL HIGHLANDS & ISLANDS ENTERPRISE TEAM VISITS GILLS HARBOUR IN LATE OCTOBER, 2013. A top-level team from Highlands and Islands Enterprise, the Scottish Government's North of Scotland jobs agency, visited Gills Harbour and were given a tour of its facilities this week (21.10.13) by the office-bearers of its Canisbay community owners, Gills Harbour Ltd (GHL).20/10/2013
Passenger growth continued at HIAL In September
Passenger numbers grew by more than 11,000 at Scotland’s regional airports last month. Latest figures show that HIAL’s 11 airports handled 126,672 passengers in September, an increase of 11,229 (+9.7%) on the same month last year.12/10/2013
Atlantis 'partners with plane and missile maker Lockheed Martim
Report By Bill Mowat Atlantis Resources Corporation is 10% shareholder in MeyGen Ltd's Inner Sound seabed lease Crown Estate concession, which lies between 1 and 1.5 miles off Gills Bay/Harbour, between the mainland of Canisbay parish and Stroma Island. As GHL chairman, I'm quite happy to be quoted as stating that the move upwards to 1.5 MW output per individual tidal stream electricity-generating is being considered and indeed is in the early stages of being acted upon by several other tidal turbine developers.7/10/2013
HIAL passenger numbers at four year high as financial performance improves
Scotland’s regional airport operator HIAL recorded 1.3 million passengers last year, delivered an improved financial performance, and invested more than £8 million upgrading its 11 airports. The figures are among the highlights in the company’s annual report and accounts for 2012/13.
3/10/2013
Leader seeks European support for Highlands and Islands air travellers
Getting a better deal on air travel for rural regions, such as the Highlands and Islands, was top of the agenda for The Highland Council Leader Drew Hendry when he addressed delegates at the General Assembly of the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions in St Malo, Brittany, France. Councillor Hendry won the support of delegates for further research to be carried out by CPMR for present to the European Commission.8/9/2013
1,000 new jobs planned by Pentland Firth stakeholder .. but 1,000 miles away
The parent firm of a major shareholder in a seabed lease from the Crown Estate in the Pentland Firth is vowing to establish a 'European industrial nerve-centre fore tidal turbines' ... but almost 1,000 miles away from the North of Scotland.6/8/2013
Pentland Survey Work Now Underway
Detailed sea-survey work for a tidal stream electricity 'array' in the Pentland Firth is in full swing just now with specialist vessel Lia. The officers and crew of a specialist vessel, owned by a venerable British family business with a history dating back over 200 years, have been busy this week (starting 04.08.13) in the Pentland Firth conducting detailed surveys in connection with a planned sub-sea 'tidal stream electricity' power station.
3/8/2013
Big 'push' by France into tidal-stream electricity developments
Reporter - Bill Mowat Big 'push' by France into tidal-stream electricity developments, spearheaded by a major Pentland Firth participant, is welcomed by the chairman of Scotland's most Northerly mainland port. Community-owned Gills Harbour Ltd lies adjacent to the Firth's 'tide-fields', while upgrade works at the Gills Bay site continue throughout this summer (2013).7/7/2013
Debut Visit To Gills Harbour
The latest vessel in a Far North fleet servicing marine renewables in 'Pentland Firth & Orkney Waters' made her debut call at Gills Harbour on July 2nd, 2013 and was based there for the next three days. The motor vessel Ocean Explorer is a recent addition to the 6-strong flotilla of 'marine electricity support vessels' owned and operated by Leask Marine Ltd, of Kirkwall, Orkney Islands.
7/7/2013
