ARBROATH SLIPWAY CLOSURE RAISES WIDER HARBOUR CONCERNS

Arbroath slipway closure raises wider harbour concerns. The future of Arbroath Harbour is under review after major faults were discovered at the historic Angus Council-owned facility, with the town’s last working boat builder warning that the impact of the ongoing slipway closure extends far beyond its own business, as reported in the Dundee Courier.

Family-run Mackay Boat Builders has seen its order book thrown into uncertainty following the sudden closure of the harbour slipway at the beginning of August.

Angus Council closed the slipway on safety grounds after critical issues were discovered during work to install a new cradle to replace the existing 120-tonne capacity unit.

Mackay Boat Builders was established in 1967 and has been run by the Simpson family for more than 35 years. Director Lynn Cameron, whose father Harry took over the business in 1990, said the closure was creating significant uncertainty for the company and its 11 employees, but stressed that the consequences were being felt across the wider harbour community.

Her comments followed a special meeting of Angus Council to discuss the future of the slipway. The situation has also been complicated by the resignation of Arbroath’s harbourmaster after only a few months in the role. Angus Council has not confirmed the circumstances surrounding Jamie Joyce’s departure, previously saying it would be inappropriate to comment on matters concerning a member of staff.

Council considers options for the harbour

At the special council meeting, councillors rejected a proposal to provide £750,000 in emergency funding for the slipway project. Instead, the casting vote of the Angus provost backed an options appraisal to determine the best way forward.

Ms Cameron said further delays would create greater uncertainty for the boatyard, but stressed that Mackay Boat Builders was far from being the only business affected.

She welcomed councillors who had visited the yard to understand the wider consequences of the closure. While Mackays carries the insurance for the slipway, it is a public facility available to all vessels using the harbour.

The closure means boat owners currently have to hire a crane to lift vessels from the water when maintenance is required.

Ms Cameron said the situation was affecting the entire harbour, including two subcontractors who operate independently from the boatyard. Every vessel using the harbour is potentially affected because owners cannot use the slipway to take boats out of the water for maintenance.

The boatyard had previously criticised an Angus Council briefing on the situation, describing it as scaremongering. The company also said it was unaware of safety near misses which council infrastructure director Graeme Dailly said had contributed to the decision to close the slipway.

Despite the uncertainty, Ms Cameron said there had been growing local interest and concern about the harbour’s future and welcomed the support the business had received from local councillors.

Harbour remains vital to local businesses

Although Arbroath’s current fishing fleet is made up largely of smaller shellfish vessels rather than the large fishing boats that once dominated the harbour, the working fleet remains an important part of its future.

The marina has also continued to attract visiting vessels and has been busy with tourist boats during the summer.

However, Mackay Boat Builders is concerned about how long it will take for the council to reach a decision. Officials have indicated that the options appraisal will consider alternatives beyond a like-for-like replacement of the existing cradle and hoist.

The business is particularly concerned about the timescale, with any major project likely to take months rather than weeks. In the meantime, the yard continues to operate but faces difficulties planning future work because of the uncertainty surrounding the slipway.

Mackays received a large number of enquiries when the closure was announced and also carries out work away from Arbroath on a range of vessels. However, the company has been reluctant to actively seek additional work that could require use of the harbour slipway while its future remains unclear.

The continuing uncertainty is therefore affecting not only the boatyard but also vessel owners, subcontractors, fishermen and other businesses connected to Arbroath Harbour.

With the council now assessing the options for the facility, those who rely on the harbour will be waiting for clarity on how and when the essential slipway can be restored.

Image: Chat GPT