Maritime Transport (Ports and Shipping)

Ports and shipping provide for the transport of freight and passengers. This includes key international and coastal shipping routes including ferry services to the Scottish islands. A few ports specialise in specific cargos, for example, Sullom Voe for oil, and Glensanda for crushed stone. The majority are multi-purpose even if they are well known for one particular commodity, such as Peterhead for fish. Other ports may play an important role for a particular industry such as Aberdeen in supporting North Sea oil and now for the developing offshore renewable energy industry.

Cargo and passenger port traffic figures are published each year in Scottish Transport Statistics and Department for Transport Maritime Statistics Compendium.

Various maps are presented in this section to illustrate data on AIS Shipping Density; all ports and the 11 largest ports; port and harbour limit boundaries (Top 16 ports, Competent Harbour Authorities and Crown ports); navigational lights and lighthouses; anchor berths and anchorage areas; navigation channels (Recommended Routes and Fairways); IMO - Traffic Routing Schemes and MARPOL areas; Marine Environmental High Risk Areas; Ferry Routes (indicative courses) ; Cruise Scotland - ship calls; shipbuilding and repair yards; locations of ship-to-ship oil transfer operations.