Normand Cutter, The Norwegian-owned Offshore Construction Vessel at Gills
16th August 2020
Here is the Normand Cutter, the Norwegian-owned offshore construction vessel that has been the base for works on Simec Atlantis Energy's (SAE's) MeyGen site in the Pentland Firth's Inner Sound, off Gills Bay during the current neap-tide sequence, that has lasted most of the week commencing 11.08.20.
Picture by retired C of S Kirk Minister the Rev Lyall Rennie, who lives at Lower Warse, Canisbay, on the shores of Gills Bay.. Rev Rennie had indicated his intention of standing down as Hon. Sec. of community owned Gills Harbour Ltd, that runs the little port on the Inner Sound's shoreline part of which is leased to Pentland Ferries Ltd. This is its mainland base for the thrice-daily service by the 85m long, 2019-built MV Alfred to St Margaret's Hope, South Ronaldsay across the ancient 'short sea route' 15 miles to Orkney.
The 200 m long main ferry pier at Gills is an object-lesson in recycling. It is composed of two former one-time floating RN dry-docks of WWII vintage that have been internally and externally strengthened and filled by dredged bedrock and laid on a prepared levelled seabed.
There has been no call on UK taxpayers' funds for capital and operating costs , making this Scotland's most successful 'Mainland to Island group' service.
The British-designed vessel was picked at the world-wide 2019 Ferry of the Year in a contest hosted by a key trade publication staff.
The tidal stream electricity generating station less that 1.5 from Gills has old electricity worth over £4 million in the last financial years according to SAE's annual report. Its MeyGen site is the largest in operation anywhere in the world and it was shaped bysubsea data provided by survey vessels operating from Gills Harbour.
Bill Mowat
PHOTO - Rev Lyall Rennie
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Two catamaran work-boats berthed at Gills Harbour this week with the trans-Pentlnd ferry MV Alfred, also a catamaran, in the background. The larger workboat is MPC Athenia which was being used as a floating base or ROVs - remote underwater vessels, for detailed inspections on the three turbines operating at the MeyGen demonstration subsea site one and a half miles off Gills Harbour.
GILLS HARBOUR Ltd - ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING at JOHN O'GROATS VILLAGE HALL, MONDAY JUNE 13th @ 7.30 PM. GILLS HARBOUR IS THE ONLY OFFICIALLY-RECOGNISED 'ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AREA' IN NE CAITHNESS.
Highlands and Islands Labour MSP Rhoda Grant has again written to the Transport Minister Graeme Dey demanding Scottish Government address the urgent issues facing Scotland's Ferry Fleet. Following CalMac's announcement that it had been forced to amend timetables as the MV Hebrides was from the rotation for urgent repairs, it became clear that some communities were facing loss of their ferry service for days.
£10 million 'Isle of Jura' temporarily based at Gills Harbour in Far North of Scotland for her crew's debut tasks in the tidal-stream electricity field at the MeyGen sub-sea site, one mile off the little Caithness's port entrance channel. One of the UK's most modern marine renewables service vessels made her debut calls at community-owned Gills Harbour, near John O'Groats, over the 2021 Spring Equinoctial weekend.
Its been a busy few days at local community-owned Gills Harbour ..... sometimes in suberb sunny weather as here ...
The company behind the world-leading tidal-stream prototype power plant in the Pentland Firth's Inner Sound is set to start manufacturing a new-style turbine that is hopes will reduce the project's generating costs. Simec Atlantis Energy (SAE) and a privately-owned specialist engineering firm from Spain's Bay of Biscay coastline have jointly been conducting 'research and development' (R& D) on the project for almost a year and are now ready to give it the go-ahead.
A new generation of younger local folk look set to take over the reins of running Gills Harbour Ltd, the local company that owns and operates the busy little port on the shores of the Pentland Firth's Inner Sound that holds its AGM this Saturday (10.10.20) morning at 10:00 am. The influx of younger blood comes after two key directors of the group that had run 'Canisbay's Peoples Port' both announced their retirement from office, whilst another Gills Harbour Ltd (GHL) office-bearer has declined to seek re-election.
An 'old friend' returns to Gills Bay after an absence of manymonths. The 2,400 tonne 70 m.
With expert guidance from the crew of Pentland Ferries "Alfred" this lorry safely loads onto the ferry at Gills Harbour, Caithness, today (9 January 2019), for her crossing to St Margarets Hope. Sea swells were evident, making the job even harder & causing the ferry to be delayed.
Pentland Ferries' new £14-million vessel, mv Alfred is almost ready to make its first trip from St Margaret's Hope to Gills Bay on Friday, 1st November 2019. The new ferry arrived on 9th October 2019 after completing its journey from the shipbuilders in Vietnam for the final fittings to be carried at Kirkwall after quick call at St Margarets Hope where local children had a chance to get a glimpse of it.
