By John Aitken It was planned by the Coaster Construction Company Limited to launch the collier Southquay from their new shipyard on Rossie Island, Montrose on the penultimate Saturday of January, 1921. As it happened the weather intervened with a strong tidal surge in the River South Esk and the arrangements were put back to the following Tuesday afternoon. A Read more...

By John Aitken On Saturday, 22nd January, 1921 an unforeseen mishap occurred in Montrose caused by a fierce gale and a subsequent tidal surge.  Some estimates put the rise in the river at 20 feet, almost two feet above prediction, the result being that the initial launches from the Coaster Construction Co. Ltd.’s shipyard were aborted.  Much interest had been Read more...

In late September, 1867 a large number of people gathered at the East Quay to witness the first composite vessel ever to be built in Montrose from the shipyard of Joseph Birnie & Co. However, all did not go to plan straightaway. The rope holding her on the slip had been cut and the appropriate signal given but the launch Read more...

This month, MPA archivist, John Aitken examines trends in vessel size and cargo being handled through the Port. Gross tonnage throughput at Montrose port has recorded a steady increase in recent years. In 2013 the annual figure was given as 1.7mn. Two years later it had grown to 2.08mn. The latest total for the past 12 months to the end Read more...

MPA archivist, John Aitken, takes us back to the days when “The Beerie” was a familiar sight at Montrose Port. Present day economists call it vertical integration or securing added value to a company or group’s method of supply. In modern jargon this is the practice where an in-house vessel or fleet of vessels is used to transport raw material/s Read more...