Facebook group preserves Sullom Voe memories

During the last two weeks, they took emergency calls in the control room, and then it was back to Shetland and service in the terminal fire station. The fire crew at Sullom Voe covered every kind of emergency response, whether fire, pollution or medical, operating ambulances as well as fire appliances. Their area of responsibility included the loading jetties and associated tanker movements.

From 2009 until 2011, David was seconded to the role of the terminal’s Environmental Adviser. By the time he left, he was a team leader.

David had been posting photographs on another Facebook group featuring Shetland memories and there was a lot of interest in them. One of those who got in touch was a Shetland woman now living in Germany, who said that he really should set up a group for Sullom Voe. She wasn’t the only advocate – there was, he says, “peer pressure!” So, he decided to go ahead – “and it just snowballed from there!” The response to the group, Memories of Sullom Voe Oil Era, has astonished him, and, as he says, “it’s the connections that folk have made, after thirty years – it’s incredible.”. The group now has around 3,500 members and continues to grow.

During the construction of the terminal, the workforce on the site peaked at well over 7,000. That was very far from the whole story, though, because many others were drawn in, including local contractors, transport operators, accommodation providers or food suppliers. Many local people found well-paid work in the ‘construction villages’ that were provided to house the workforce. Some of them feature in this photograph of women who worked in one of the canteens. David recalls that there were canteens providing food all over the site, and it was “the best of the best, all the time. The birds that ate in the skips, they couldn’t fly!”

All these people retain memories of those hectic days; and, after construction had been completed, thousands more staff spent time working in a variety of roles in the terminal and the council-run port. Add in their families, and the number of people associated with the facilities runs well into five figures. Indeed, employment at the terminal spans generations. In May 2020, Kay Hunter – who had been a ‘Doc and Demurrage Coordinator’ until 1996 – mentioned that one of her sons was working as Process Operator on the site and her youngest was by then a trainee in the same role.

David tells a similar story. He recalls that it was a time of huge change for Shetland and especially for those living in the north mainland. There were thousands of new faces on the terminal site and many hundreds joined these local communities. But, says David, “we just embraced it. Because it was happening on our doorsteps, we just thought ‘go for it’ and we welcomed them with open arms.” David’s father and brothers got jobs in the oil industry too.

Construction work began in 1975. Early estimates of the number of workers required were much too low, and the first of the construction villages at Firth, accommodating 1,200, soon had to be augmented by a second village with 1,800 beds at Toft. Even that wasn’t enough, and two liners, the Rangatira and the Stena Baltica, were berthed in Sullom Voe.

Oil began flowing into the terminal in late 1978 but construction work was far from complete. In May 1981, the Queen visited Shetland for the official opening. The Rangatira hosted the ceremonial lunch on that occasion; soon afterwards, the ship was in the South Atlantic, accommodating troops during the Falklands conflict.

From May 2020 onwards, the posts on the Facebook group record many memories, and they also provide an excellent record of the progress of the construction work. One of the posts by David Manson features a photo by Arnold Leask, showing the state of the site in May 1979. David reckons that he probably drove the tractor and trailer and the forklift which appear at the bottom right.

A post by Terry Hoare is typical of many that record individual experiences. He worked for LJK Joint Venture as a commercial manager responsible for tarring the miles of roads that had to be constructed. He says that he…

“…stayed in Firth camp initially then moved to Toft and then one of the accommodation ships. My company moved 4 of us to work out of Fairclough’s yard in Paisley, right opposite St Mirren’s football ground, and we flew up and down to Shetland Tuesdays and Thursdays on Dan Air Hawker Siddeley 748 twin prop planes. Hairy times I can tell you. Always travelled with an overnight bag in case we were stranded by fog in Shetland or diverted on the way to Glasgow. Very happy memories and met some fabulous guys, some who remain friends today…What an experience.”

A photograph from Arnold Leask, submitted by David Manson, shows the Shell tanker Litiopa (318,865 deadweight tonnes) being turned by tugs in July 1980; the two accommodation vessels, Stena Baltica and Rangatira, are visible in the background.

They touch, too, on the only major pollution incident ever to occur at the port, which involved not the crude oil piped in from the North Sea, but heavy bunker oil from a tanker that collided with a jetty on 1 January 1979. The pollution control procedures were reviewed, and more precautions were introduced; these included the installation of shore mooring points so that protective booms could quickly be deployed in order to protect the most sensitive areas.

The good times feature in many photographs, with ample evidence of nights out. The BP Christmas parties that were held for many years at the Shetland Hotel in Lerwick were a highlight for many.

Given the passage of time, it’s sadly inevitable that some of the people who worked at Sullom Voe are no longer with us; the group has carried funeral notices, enabling friends and colleagues to pay their respects. It has also served as a platform for discussing other practical concerns, for example changes to pension arrangements.

It’s clear that the group has struck a chord with its followers. In fact, David’s initiative drew warm praise from the start. Back in May 2020, Hayley Johnston wrote that everyone should applaud him:

“for coming up with this idea of creating this Facebook link. It has brought back so many memories and brought folk together at this crazy time. You’re doing a fantastic job and now it looks like it’s getting quite a busy job! You have got so many folks together, remembering good times and the not so good, but also the funny stories that may not have been heard or shared. A lot of the photos are before I moved up, but I appreciate your work and I’m thoroughly enjoying looking back to how SVT was built. I want to say a thank you for everyone putting forward pictures…”

Judging by the numbers of new followers engaging with the group, David will be kept busy for years to come. As well as fulfilling a social purpose, the many recollections and photographs are an important contribution to recording and understanding a crucial period in Shetland’s history. Long may his work continue.