Nigg Bay
Encyclopedia
Nigg Bay is a large relatively shallow sandy bay, consisting of mudflat
, saltmarsh
and wet grassland
, located at the north east coast of the Cromarty Firth
and is 5 miles to the east of Invergordon
, in the district of Ross and Cromarty
and is in the Scottish
council area of Highland.
During low tide, the Sands of Nigg are exposed. Nigg Bay can be said to start at Balintraid
pier - probably the oldest pier on the Cromarty Firth built by Thomas Telford
in 1824. There is a wartime mining
base alongside the pier and a series of coastal gun emplacements on the road to North Sutor.
, which was given its name by the bay, with the village of Pitcalnie
, further up the coast. On the north west shore of the bay, are the villages of Milton at the east side of the shore, Barbaraville
almost directly across from the fabrication yard and Balintraid
further west.
A ferry
links the villages of Cromarty
on the Black Isle
to Nigg Ferry just prior to it opening into the Moray Firth
.
After the last Council elections in May 2007 the newly elected SNP group on Highland council took up the challenge of trying to secure the future of the Yard and the, then, Planning and Development Chairman, SNP Cllr Drew Hendry and officials set about meeting the various parties to urge them to thrash out a commercial conclusion to sale negotiations. He began a process, through Highland Council, and with the guidance of the Scottish Government and the help of HIE to create a new Masterplan for Nigg to lay out the opportunities for investor and simultaneously gained cross party agreement for the council to begin compulsory purchase preparation. Sunday Herald article
Another motion, raised by the SNP Councillors Drew Hendry and Alan Torrance, was passed at Highland Council on 4 September 2008 (instructing officer to take any legal action needed to further the plan) and shortly after access was granted to complete the Nigg plan.
The Draft Nigg Masterplan was released for consultation on 23 September 2008.
The same day, with the help of SNP Councillor Maxine Smith, Member for the Cromarty Firth Ward and SNP Highland Councillor Roy Pedersen outlined SNP Highland Council Group research, conducted with renowned maritime expert, Professor Alf Baird, covering opportunities for the building of Catamaran type replacement ferries (which are required for Scottish routes) at the Nigg yard for which the site may be highly suitable Press and Journal Article
In addition to this there is also an oil depot operated by Talisman Energy
.
Mudflat
Mudflats or mud flats, also known as tidal flats, are coastal wetlands that form when mud is deposited by tides or rivers. They are found in sheltered areas such as bays, bayous, lagoons, and estuaries. Mudflats may be viewed geologically as exposed layers of bay mud, resulting from deposition of...
, saltmarsh
Salt marsh
A salt marsh is an environment in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and salt water or brackish water, it is dominated by dense stands of halophytic plants such as herbs, grasses, or low shrubs. These plants are terrestrial in origin and are essential to the stability of the salt marsh...
and wet grassland
Grassland
Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants . However, sedge and rush families can also be found. Grasslands occur naturally on all continents except Antarctica...
, located at the north east coast of the Cromarty Firth
Cromarty Firth
The Cromarty Firth of Cromarty') is an arm of the North Sea in Scotland. It is the middle of the three sea lochs at the head of the Moray Firth: to the north lies the Dornoch Firth, and to the south the Beauly Firth....
and is 5 miles to the east of Invergordon
Invergordon
Invergordon is a town and port in Easter Ross, in Ross and Cromarty, Highland, Scotland.-History:The town is well known for the Invergordon Mutiny of 1931. More recently it was also known for the repair of oil rigs which used to be lined up in the Cromarty Firth on which the town is situated...
, in the district of Ross and Cromarty
Ross and Cromarty
Ross and Cromarty is a variously defined area in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. There is a registration county and a lieutenancy area in current use...
and is in the Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
council area of Highland.
During low tide, the Sands of Nigg are exposed. Nigg Bay can be said to start at Balintraid
Balintraid
Balintraid is an industrial settlement, which was built largely in the 1970s with the growth of the North Sea oil industry in Scotland, lies on the north east corner of Nigg Bay, in the Cromarty Firth in Ross-shire, Scottish Highlands and is in the Scottish council area of Highland...
pier - probably the oldest pier on the Cromarty Firth built by Thomas Telford
Thomas Telford
Thomas Telford FRS, FRSE was a Scottish civil engineer, architect and stonemason, and a noted road, bridge and canal builder.-Early career:...
in 1824. There is a wartime mining
Naval mine
A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, an enemy vessel...
base alongside the pier and a series of coastal gun emplacements on the road to North Sutor.
Villages
On the south east coast of the Nigg Bay lies the villages and parish of NiggNigg, Highland
Nigg is a village and parish on the north east shore of Nigg Bay in north east Ross-shire and is in the Scottish council area of Highland...
, which was given its name by the bay, with the village of Pitcalnie
Pitcalnie
Pitcalnie is a small hamlet on the north east corner of Nigg Bay in Ross-shire, Scottish Highlands and is in the Scottish council area of Highland....
, further up the coast. On the north west shore of the bay, are the villages of Milton at the east side of the shore, Barbaraville
Barbaraville
Barbaraville is a small settlement on the north west shore of the Cromarty Firth in Highland, Scotland. Housing dates from 1820 onwards when local people were allowed to build on packets of land from local estates at Balnagown, Tarbet and Polnicol....
almost directly across from the fabrication yard and Balintraid
Balintraid
Balintraid is an industrial settlement, which was built largely in the 1970s with the growth of the North Sea oil industry in Scotland, lies on the north east corner of Nigg Bay, in the Cromarty Firth in Ross-shire, Scottish Highlands and is in the Scottish council area of Highland...
further west.
A ferry
Cromarty Rose
MV Cromarty Rose a small vehicle ferry operating a summer service across the Cromarty Firth.-History:MV Cromarty Rose is the smallest car ferry in the UK, and the only ferry serving the Black Isle, crossing the Cromarty Firth between Nigg and Cromarty...
links the villages of Cromarty
Cromarty
The Royal Burgh of Cromarty is a burgh in Ross and Cromarty, Highland, Scotland.-History:It was previously the county town of the former county of Cromartyshire...
on the Black Isle
Black Isle
The Black Isle is an eastern area of the Highland local government council area of Scotland, within the county of Ross and Cromarty. The name nearly always includes the article "the"....
to Nigg Ferry just prior to it opening into the Moray Firth
Moray Firth
The Moray Firth is a roughly triangular inlet of the North Sea, north and east of Inverness, which is in the Highland council area of north of Scotland...
.
Industry
At the south east corner of the bay, is the former oil platform construction and fabrication yard, known as the Nigg yard, owned by KBR, the yard being operated by KBR Caledonia Ltd. It was opened in 1972 by a joint venture of Brown & Root and Wimpey Construction. The fabrication yard was "mothballed" some years ago and was put up for sale by KBR in 2006. In September 2008 KBR was reported to be in advanced negotiations with Birmingham-based decommissioning specialists, DSM.After the last Council elections in May 2007 the newly elected SNP group on Highland council took up the challenge of trying to secure the future of the Yard and the, then, Planning and Development Chairman, SNP Cllr Drew Hendry and officials set about meeting the various parties to urge them to thrash out a commercial conclusion to sale negotiations. He began a process, through Highland Council, and with the guidance of the Scottish Government and the help of HIE to create a new Masterplan for Nigg to lay out the opportunities for investor and simultaneously gained cross party agreement for the council to begin compulsory purchase preparation. Sunday Herald article
Another motion, raised by the SNP Councillors Drew Hendry and Alan Torrance, was passed at Highland Council on 4 September 2008 (instructing officer to take any legal action needed to further the plan) and shortly after access was granted to complete the Nigg plan.
The Draft Nigg Masterplan was released for consultation on 23 September 2008.
The same day, with the help of SNP Councillor Maxine Smith, Member for the Cromarty Firth Ward and SNP Highland Councillor Roy Pedersen outlined SNP Highland Council Group research, conducted with renowned maritime expert, Professor Alf Baird, covering opportunities for the building of Catamaran type replacement ferries (which are required for Scottish routes) at the Nigg yard for which the site may be highly suitable Press and Journal Article
In addition to this there is also an oil depot operated by Talisman Energy
Talisman Energy
Talisman Energy Inc. is one of Canada's largest petroleum SB companies. Based in Calgary, Alberta, Talisman Energy has operations around the globe including: Canada and the United States of America in North America; Colombia and Peru in South America; Algeria in North Africa; United Kingdom,...
.
See also
- Nigg RockNigg RockNigg Rock is an insular rock, 165 m high, lying 0.5 nautical miles northwest of Route Point, the northwest tip of Laurie Island in the South Orkney Islands...
in the South Orkney IslandsSouth Orkney IslandsThe South Orkney Islands are a group of islands in the Southern Ocean, about north-east of the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. They have a total area of about ....
was named in 1903 by the Scottish National Antarctic ExpeditionScottish National Antarctic ExpeditionThe Scottish National Antarctic Expedition , 1902–04, was organised and led by William Speirs Bruce, a natural scientist and former medical student from the University of Edinburgh. Although overshadowed in prestige terms by Robert Falcon Scott's concurrent Discovery Expedition, the SNAE completed...
under William S. Bruce, as his wife was born in Nigg Bay. - Nigg Bay, A bay in the coast of TorryTorry-Setting and historical development:Torry, lying on the south bank of the River Dee, was once a Royal Burgh in its own right, having been erected a burgh of barony in 1495. It was incorporated into Aberdeen in 1891, after the construction of the Victoria Bridge, itself made possible by the 1871...
0.5 miles south of AberdeenAberdeenAberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
, ScotlandScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...