Contractor appointed to tackle beacon paint job
(Picture: Lindsay Reid)
Orkney Islands Council has appointed an Edinburgh contractor to paint the 21-foot-tall Nevi Skerry beacon in the middle of Scapa Flow.
Pendrich Height Services Ltd will need to erect scaffolding around the beacon – which is just over half a mile east of Flotta, at northern end of the Sound of Hoxa – and make several trips back and forward, to avoid the incoming tide.
Brian Archibald, the OIC’s head of marine services, engineering and transportation said: “As a harbour authority Orkney Islands Council has an obligation to maintain all navigational marks. This work is usually carried out on contract by the Northern Lighthouse Board but in the case of the Nevi Skerry beacon it falls to us.
“This is a job that doesn’t happen very often – the last time it was carried out was 20 years ago. It would have been carried out by the harbour staff at that time but nowadays, with increased health and safety regulations, it has to be tackled in a slightly safer manner.
“It’s a complicated and challenging job . The beacon stands at around 21 feet and is of cast iron construction and will require special preparation. It’s in a fairly inaccessible location and will therefore require a suitable vessel for transport and standby duty. We look forward to working alongside the contractor to complete the task.”
Work should start on site towards the end of the month.