By the time Colin Parker hangs up his captain’s hat at Aberdeen Harbour Board later this year he’ll have spent almost 30 years working at the port.
He joined the harbour in December 1987 after the “first half” of his life was spent, first in the merchant navy, then as a mariner where he travelled the world.
Mr Parker, a tall, softly-spoken man who occasionally lets slip a mischievous sense of humour, said he had no idea then he would rise to the top job at the harbour. Initially he came ashore to apply for a job as a navigation officer at the old Round House port control building.
He recalls: “In my interview, the harbour master asked me what my ambition was and I said ‘your job’.
“I didn’t believe I’d be doing it six years later.
“I didn’t envisage I’d end up staying at the harbour for 20 years – the second half of my life.
“It has been a fantastic place to be.
“As a trust port we are able to invest all our money back into the harbour. The change has been phenomenal.”
As he had predicted, he duly became harbour master in 1994. Among other responsibilities he was tasked with ensuring the gangplank of the Royal Yacht Britannia landed in place when the Queen arrived for her annual summer holiday in Balmoral. He assures that no royals ended up treading water on his watch.
He became chief executive in 2006 where he has led the port’s steady transformation for 11 years.
One of his first jobs as chief was undertaking the £33million redevelopment of Torry Quay, which involved removing former fishing-related facilities, widening the river and bolstering the quaysides to make way for the vast vessels that service the oil and gas industry.
During his time the harbour also built the striking port control tower at the mouth of the harbour which allowed the employment of the latest navigation technology.
The trend for harbours is the accommodation of ever larger ships, particularly in an oil and gas port like Aberdeen where companies search for oil in deeper waters further out to sea. Which is why, despite the decline in trade at the harbour since downturn in oil price, the board is pressing ahead with its ambitious £350million plan to expand into Nigg Bay.
The idea for the project first dawned in 2010 when Mr Parker’s frustration at having to turn away business – particularly lucrative cruise ships – boiled over and the plan was hatched.
Mr Parker admits the last year getting the project to fruition has been gruelling.
“It was an interesting year last year,” he said.
“We had the deadline to meet, getting the consents for the marine licenses and the harbour revision order, and planning permission in principle from the city council. We made it. And also getting the confirmation from the board to press the button. It was a very ambitious programme and we got there.
“But it was quite a stressful period. The drop in the oil price presented fresh challenges. But having been here 20-odd years we had seen that before. Ten years from conception to delivery we were always going to face periods of lower activity than we were handling in 2013/14.
“Oil will last another 30 years at least but being able to diversify for the future means we will continue to do what he have to do as a trust port.
“I believe we are doing the right thing, to be fit for purpose for the next generation was well as the current one.”
As for the “third half” of his life, Mr Parker, who lives in Newburgh with his wife where they raised three children, is looking to enjoy some calmer seas. And golf.
His grown children are also recent home buyers which means he might be called on to do some DIY.
Mr Parker, who admits he is quite shy for someone with such a high profile role, bats away any talk of “legacy” as he prepares to leave the trust port having charted its most ambitious project yet.
“That’s not me. I don’t come at it from that direction. If it is built and it works, I’ll be very proud. But it is a team effort here. And it is a fantastic team.”
He confirms he will definitely be at the opening of the harbour expansion, which is due in 2020.
“I’ll be in touch if I don’t get an invite,” he jokes.
There are others who speak on his behalf when his modesty prevent him.
Alistair Mackenzie, chairman of Aberdeen Harbour Board, said: “The legacy that Colin will leave is in no doubt.
“His tireless work on the planning of the expansion project at Nigg Bay alone represents an incredible contribution to our future and that of Aberdeen as a whole”.
