Location:

Cromarty Firth is an estuary of several rivers, principally the River Conon, that is a sheltered inlet of the Moray Firth, from where the various rivers of Strathglass and Strathconon enter the North Sea. To the south of  Cromarty Firth the Black Isle acts as a partition, creating shelter from the Moray Firth.  In addition, the narrow entrance to Cromarty firth is also well protected, by two 450ft promontories, known as “The Sutors”, providing a 1 mile wide passage from the North Sea into the Firth.

Unassigned oil rigs are often “stored” in Cromarty Firth, which was also the place of manufacture for many oil platforms used in the North Sea. At the time the images in this section were shot there were 9 oil platforms in the Firth mainly because the 2008 recession had the effect of reducing the oil prices, thus rendering some oil production in the North Sea uneconomic.

Photographic opportunities alongside Cromarty Firth are many and starting from Cromarty it is possible to circle the complete Firth, clockwise, with the sun over your shoulder throughout. My images are the result of three visits to this compulsive locality.

Up to 15 Oil Platforms can be moored, at any one time, in Cromarty Firth in the North of Scotland, for repair, maintenance, storage or dismantling. The rigs, both drilling and production types, are anchored within a short distance of the shore and are very striking in appearance, making fascinating photographic subjects.

At the widest part, comprising Cromarty Bay and Nigg Bay, the Firth is nearly 5 miles across and these are the shores where the principal communities of Invergordon, Cromarty and Nigg are located. The Firth provides a large area of deep-water anchorage that led to the British Navy basing the Home Fleet at Invergordon during WW1 and WW2. In addition, a Navy Airfield was established at Evanton, as a base for Catalina / Sunderland seaplane training, as well as storage for carrier-based aircraft when the mother ship was in port for maintenance. The airfield is now an industrial Estate.

The Navy is now long gone and Invergordon is the location of the facilities used by the Cromarty Firth Port Authority, providing maritime maintenance, oil processing, oil platform build / maintenance and anchorage for visiting ocean liners. At Nigg there is another facility for North Sea Oil and Renewable Energy applications, based upon a dry dock and fabrication shops, along with an oil storage depot. Manufacture and shipment of wind turbines is also carried out at the Nigg Energy Park, as the plant is known. 

Six of the nine platforms were in the Firth for storage prior to a reassignment, at the time of my photoshoots. The remaining three rigs, the Ocean Nomad, Ocean Princess and the Ocean Vanguard, which were due to be towed to India and Bangladesh for scrapping, were ordered to remain at Cromarty Firth by the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) in January 2018. SEPA had earlier stated that it had concerns about the “destination and disposal” of the rigs.

The mooring of oil rigs in Cromarty Firth is supervised by the Cromarty Port Authority based on the North side of the Firth at Invergordon. The Port Authority is also responsible for the conduct of operations within the Firth such as those related to the oil and gas industry, to manufacture and installation support for wind turbine facilities (off and onshore), as well as supervision of cruise ships which regularly visit Invergordon and the Firth.

There is a mixed opinion from the local residents, who seemed ambivalent to the Oil Rigs being kept in Cromarty Firth. According to some Cromarty residents, payment of the anchorage charges are paid to the Invergordon Port Authority and none of the money benefits Cromarty on the other side of the water. However, the Authority is a large employer in this area which would be wholly dependent on agriculture and tourism if there was no Port Authority.

Local Hotel businesses in Invergordon are of the opinion that the presence of the rigs deters visitors to the area, thus badly affecting trade. It should, however, be borne in mind that Invergordon is nowadays bypassed very effectively by the A9, which does exacerbate the situation. The vacant premises along the main street are a symptom of declining trade in Invergordon but there are still the cruise ships that visit the Firth producing the possibility of some seasonal business prospects, at least.

Rick Spurgeon, 09-Jan-2021

Cromarty Contact Sheet for Reference: