Forth & Tay Navigation Service
Forth & Tay Navigation Service (FTNS) is manned 24 hours a day, 365 days a year by appropriately qualified Assistant Harbour Masters who are supported by VTS Operators, themselves qualified to the required MCA V103 standard.
The service they provide includes radar surveillance of the Forth Estuary from the Eastern Port Limit (Tantallon Castle on the south shore to Fife Ness on the north shore), and also of the Tay Estuary from the Abertay Outer Buoy to a line just west of the Tay Rail Bridge. Their duties also include enforcement of the Forth Byelaws and General Directions for Navigation and the Byelaws for the Port of Dundee. This ensures a safe and speedy passage of all commercial and naval shipping from sea to port and back to sea again.
Forth Ports has five radars covering the Forth estuary; at Gullane, Leith, Burntisland, Rosyth and Grangemouth, and one radar on the Tay at Buddon Ness. In addition, FTNS personnel maintain and update a computerised vessel database which records details of all ship voyages in the estuaries. Both radar picture and vessel database can be viewed and accessed by each Harbour Master in the main ports in the estuary as well as by Forth Pilots, based at Granton.
VHF Channels
Ch: 71 – Forth & Tay Navigation Service
Ch: 14 – Grangemouth Harbour Masters
Ch: 12 – Leith Harbour
Ch: 12 – Dundee Harbour
Ch: 72 – Forth Pilots (& pilot cutter)
Marine Contacts
Forth & Tay Navigation Service
T: +44 (0)1324 498584
F: +44 (0)1324 668480
Leith Harbour Office
T +44 (0)131 555 8900
F: +44 (0)131 555 8912
Forth Pilots (Granton)
T: +44 (0)131 552 1420
F: +44 (0)131 551 5869
Forth Estuary Towage
T: +44 (0)131 555 8915
F: +44 (0)131 555 8923
Dundee Harbour
T: +44 (0)1382 878141
F: +44 (0)1382 878126
Mailing Addresses
Forth & Tay Navigation Service (FTNS)
South Shore Road
Grangemouth
FK3 8UD
Leith Harbour Office
Marine Administration Building
Leith Docks
Edinburgh
EH6 7DR
Forth Pilots
Pilot Station
Middle Pier
Granton
Edinburgh
EH5 1HF
Forth Estuary Towage
Marine Administration Building
Leith Docks
Edinburgh
EH6 7DR
Dundee Harbour Master
Port Office
Stannergate Road
Dundee
DD1 3LU
Useful Links
Key Contacts
Alan McPherson
Chief Harbour Master
Forth & Tay Navigation
South Shore Road
Grangemouth
FK3 8UD
+44 (0)1324 668 400
Ashley Nicholson
Senior Harbour Master
Marine Admin Building
Grangemouth Port Office
Central Dock Road
Grangemouth
FK3 8UE
+44 (0)1324 668 400
Alasdair Smith
Head of Marine Operations & Development
Forth & Tay Navigation
South Shore Road
Grangemouth
FK3 8UD
+44 (0)1324 668 400
Ryan Porteous
Harbour Master Dundee & Leith
Port Office
Stannergate Road
Dundee
DD1 3LU
+44 (0)1382 224 121
Report a Marine Near Miss
Current Weather at our Scottish Ports
Click the icons below to see more detail.