Tour Scotland Travel Video Loading Baryte EEMS Coast Cargo Ship Harbour Perth Perthshire

Tour Scotland travel video of loading Baryte onto the EEMS Coast general cargo ship at the harbour on visit to the Fair City of Perth, Perthshire, Scotland. Barite or barytes, barium sulphate, is a mineral largely used, 77% of it, as a weighting agent for drilling fluids in oil and gas exploration. It is an essential component and there is no substitute that has all of its properties. The Baryte shown here was mined at Foss near Abefeldy, Highland Perthshire. The Foss barite belongs to the Argyll Group of the Precambrian Dalradian Supergroup. In other words, it was deposited over 600 million years ago. In the intervening period these rocks have been deformed and metamorphosed many times, and the Foss barite vein shows evidence of at least five episodes of folding, so that following its twists and turns underground is far from easy. The barite was discovered in 1975, and supplies about a quarter of the UK North Sea requirement. It is also the largest accumulation of the metal barium in the world. Open to shipping round the clock, Perth Harbour accepts coastal and dry bulk ships up to 90 metres in length, carrying up to 2,500 tonnes from Europe, the Baltic or Scandinavia. Because of its scale, vessels can be received on one high tide and depart on the next, ensuring maximum efficiency. Cargoes passing through Perth Harbour range from traditional agricultural related cargoes such as animal feedstuffs and fertilisers to timber, chemicals and baryte ore.

All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

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