Unauthorised entries continue to rise at the Port of Aberdeen
Figures are above those from pre-pandemic
Last updated 8th Jul 2022
The Port of Aberdeen are urging people to stay away from their facilities after a rise in people gaining unauthorised access.
There was more than a 130% increase in 2021 compared with pre-pandemic figures in 2019.
14 people gained unauthorised access to the port's estate in 2021, though that figure could rise in 2022 with 10 people already breaking in.
A third of all incidents involved trespassing on the Port’s iconic North and South breakwaters, which are the gateway to the Port’s busy shipping channel.
A number of the breaches onto the breakwaters have seen members of the public engage in tombstoning, which is a dangerous activity that involves jumping off a structure of cliff into water of an unknown depth.
Alex McIntosh, Harbour Master, Port of Aberdeen said: "The Port of Aberdeen emergency responders respond to each breach of the port security as soon as we are alerted to them.
"We hear all sorts of reasons for the breaches – they were taking photographs, wanted to go fishing, fancied a swim or were just having a laugh. Some have even turned up with ladders to climb over the fence.
“The public do not always appreciate the risk to themselves and the Port of Aberdeen employees who respond to remove them from our breakwaters and quaysides.
The pandemic saw a rise in people taking part in water sports such as wild swimming, surfing, windsurfing, kitesurfing, kayaking and stand-up paddleboarding (SUP).
Whilst this is an positive sign, Alex says people still need educated on the dangers of water: "It is encouraging to see more people enjoy the coastline through different outdoor activities.
"However, the Port has a responsibility to reduce the risk to the public through engagement and education.
“The navigation channels and port approaches can be busy with commercial and leisure traffic entering and exiting the Port.
"The vessels navigating in the approaches may not be aware of the presence, particularly of SUP or wild swimmers, as they are not visible in the water.
"Leisure users are encouraged to remain within the areas bounded by the five-metre contour line on the navigation chart to the North of the North breakwater.”