More than one in 10 vessels calling at Lerwick harbour in 2013 was related to the oil and gas industry, boosting overall traffic, a report has found.
But the number of cruise ships sailing to the harbour fell by almost a third, hitting the number of passengers that arrived at the Shetland gateway, said the port authority.
Fish landings – and their value – increased last year.
The volume of landing rose 8.6% to 66,745 tonnes, while the value of the catch rose 23% to £62.5million.
With ongoing construction of the £800million gas plant near Sullom Voe, the number of oil-related vessels calling at the deep-water port jumped 9.6% to 683 compared to 2012, it emerged.
Lerwick Port Authority is investing £20million over two years in expanding facilities, with two deep-water quays opened in recent months.
Sandra Laurenson, the port authority’s chief executive, said: “In a very busy year, our investment in enhanced facilities again paid off.
“On top of regular traffic, the port handled various projects demonstrating the capacity of the deep-water harbour, including storing and transhipping modules weighing up to 450 tonnes for the Shetland Gas Plant and accommodating several floatels housing construction workers.
“The outlook is positive for the foreseeable future and we are progressing further developments to maximise the opportunities in various sectors.”
Passengers on ferries between Lerwick, Orkney and Aberdeen increased 7% to 133,028 in 2013. But the number of cruise ships coming to port disappointed, with one operator going out of business and ship deployment affected for other reasons, including bad weather.
Cruise passenger numbers decreased by 29% to 26,684, resulting in a 0.85% decrease in total passenger numbers to 160,445. Ms Laurenson said: “The cruise season was affected by one-off factors relating to specific operators. Bookings for this year indicate a strong recovery, with around 46,000 passengers expected.”
There were a total of 5,416 vessel arrivals last year, up 4.9%, with the tonnage of all ships ahead by 5.5% to 13.2million gross tonnes.
The 10,940 tonnes of white fish landed at Lerwick were valued at £17million, up 14% on volume and 9.3% on value, with the price per tonne down 4% to average £1,553. In the pelagic sector, mackerel landings increased. There were no blue whiting, and herring landings dropped.