A solid argument

Harbour master Ken Gray explains that it was a priority to move away from the old chain-link and concrete post style boundary which had proved to be high maintenance, both because it required an amount of re-tensioning and because it invited breaches. “The new pallistrade fencing is solid metal – and more of a deterrent,” he explains. Further, there are now 19 automatic motion-sensing cameras to take the strain off the security guards.

It’s not cheap – and the port is phasing the 1,600 metres of fencing, new access gates and other upgrades in over three years to spread the costs. However, Mr Gray says that the 30 acre Invergordon Service Base – one of the very few facilities that can handle the North Sea rigs, brings in £70m per year for the local economy. “The offshore service clients have a requirement for security – there’s a lot of high-value machinery on site.”

The good thing is that upgrading the fencing means new gates, and this has given the opportunity to improve the traffic flow. “So, the port has repositioned an entrance and added search lanes, which means the port can go to a higher level of security without the alert making the whole operation grind to a halt.”