The renaissance of Kirkcaldy Harbour is continuing with yet another grain shipment arriving this week.
The Nordica Hav’s arrival with a shipment of 2,000 tonnes of high-quality wheat officially breaks the 100,000-tonne barrier of wheat discharged at the port since it reopened to commercial shipping in 2011.
This milestone has been achieved ahead of schedule and ensures that the Kirkcaldy miller, Carr’s Flour, Scotland, has had consistent delivery of quality wheat even in the difficult harvest conditions endured by the UK last summer.
Kirkcaldy Harbour was officially reopened to commercial ships after a 20 year gap. The port was upgraded to allow cargo ships to reintroduce the grain trade to the Fife town.
Carr’s Flour Mills was behind the move to revamp the harbour after its subsidiary, Hutchisons Flour Mill, had been awarded an £800,000 Scottish Government grant to help carry out the work.
The harbour closed in 1992 due to lack of demand but the flour company claimed the facility would save it 250,000 truck miles each year in transporting wheat.
Forth Ports, which owns the harbour, also contributed to the £1.3 million maintenance of the harbour. The harbour now sees cargo ships calling regularly at the quay to provide the Carr’s Flour, Scotland with quality wheat from around the UK and Europe.
Shipping to the port, has significantly reduced the lorry movements in Kirkcaldy and has taken more than 7,200 lorry movements off the UK’s roads so far. It has also generated significant interest in the Lang Toun, as many residents enjoy seeing the ships manoeuvring in the harbour.
Carr’s Flour, Scotland invested in new intake equipment and storage silos at the harbour for the reopening and is well under way with another large project to build a new flour mill adjacent to these.
Matt North, port manager of Kirkcaldy Harbour, said: “We are delighted to see a busy, working waterfront at Kirkcaldy harbour. Hutchison’s have the perfect location on the quayside for delivery of a continuous product supply to the mill by coastal shipping, while reducing the lorry miles.
“Coastal shipping also delivers a greener transport alternative, with shipments being more than 10 times more carbon-efficient than using roads.”
Carr’s Flour Mills Ltd wheat director, Julius Deane, said: “It is very exciting to reach this delivery milestone in Kirkcaldy. Shipping the wheat directly into the mill from the UK and Europe ensures that we don’t have an interruption of supply of the best bread wheats.
“The harvest last year was difficult but, through coastal shipping, we can supply our customers with quality products throughout the year.
“We are continuing to invest in our mill at Kirkcaldy and we look forward to the opening of a new mill facility at the harbour later this year.”
Kirkcaldy MSP David Torrance said it was “great news” to see the expansion of the facility.He said: “Not only does this contribute towards economic growth within my constituency, but it also spells good news for the environment.
“By concentrating on shipping grain into Kirkcaldy Harbour, Carr’s Flour Mill has been able to cut down on the number of lorries on Scotland’s roads, thereby reducing the company’s carbon footprint and helping the country to improve its green credentials.
“It also provides the mill with access to wheat all year round, minimising the disruption which can be a result of poor harvests such as those caused by adverse weather conditions in Britain last summer.”