Dundee

Dundee and the shipping industry

The port of Dundee is located on the East coast of Scotland, on the North side of the River Tey estuary. In 2010 the port handled 962,000 tonnes of cargo traffic. The main purpose for the port of Dundee is for servicing the North Sea oil rigs, but as you can see from its cargo traffic it also handles many tonnes from around the globe. The naturally deep waters at Dundee means they can have a diverse amount of different vessels docking there at any one time, with many cruise ships using the port as a stop off.

Cargo leaving the port of Dundee is quickly linked to the motorway network. Travelling northeast, traffic would take the A92 arterial road, where the main destinations would be Arbroath (17 miles), and Montrose (29 miles), but if destinations are sought to the South and West, freight will soon find itself travelling along the M90 motorway at Perth (22 miles). The M90 links Perth with Dunfermline (48 miles). These roads also give links for cargo from Dundee, onto the motorways of the M9 to Edinburgh (62 miles), and the M73 onto Glasgow (82 miles).

A settlement at the site of Dundee can be traced back to the 12th Century, and it has always been a port town, exporting and importing throughout its history. In medieval times the main industry was the export of raw wool materials, and in the 19th Century it was jute, which dominated industry in Dundee in the latter half of that Century. The jute industry declined in the early 20th Century, due to a reduced demand, and also being unable to compete with the textile industry coming from India. Now the port is used for general bulk goods, oils and gases, and with development planned for the whole area, and expansion of the port, it makes Dundee a good servicing port for the north east of Scotland.