The Hidden Glasgow Forums

When I was back home during the summer I travelled up to Arrochar on the A814. On the way I stopped at the Finart Oil Terminal on the side of Loch Long. The terminal was where the oil tankers offloaded and the oil was pumped across to Grangemouth. There were several storage tanks on the hillside around the unloading point. There was quite a bit of work going on but I couldn't figure out if it was refurbishment or demolition. I have heard that it hasn't been used for a while. Perhaps someone here may know more. Here are some of the photos that I took.


Unloading jetty.


Finart House sandwiched between two of the storage tanks.


Storage tanks on the hillside above the loch.

Anyone know what is happening or when the last tanker unloaded?

Yeah it still gets used as a refuelling terminal for R.F.A. berthed ships along at Glen Douglas (R.F.A Fort George is there quite a bit) as far as I know. There's also underground tanks which you can see as the odd wee shaped hillocks when you come over the Faslane Rd.....and from where you took piccie #1 there's the remains of an old WW2 conctrete pier that was blown up at the end of the war leaving the support legs in 10-30msw
http://www.congeralley.com/sites/aframes.htm

Been there once or twice

PK

Many thanks PK for the info. I wondered why there was no info when I tried a search on not only HG but also on the web. I suppose it helps when you spell the name correctly

It seems that the site was connected to more than just Grangemouth (and the Faslane tanks) from what I have read on the web. One site is:

http://www.clydesite.co.uk/articles/hun ... innart.asp

Whilst I recall seeing the site at Old Kilpatrick, I don't recall one at Rosneath. It was also news to me that there are 2 pipelines to Grangemouth, one used for sending out refined fuel and a second for crude to the refinery.

Finnart is still used by BP with oil tankers coming and going quite often.
They are refurbishing the storage tanks on the hillside and demolishing some of the derelict buildings on the site.

The RFA ships dock at Glenmallon jetty further up the loch but that is for munitions and supplies from the Glen Douglas NATO base, its completely separate from BP Finnart. more info here http://www.secretscotland.org.uk/index. ... tionsDepot

^ That's what I meant (Glenmallan) when I said Glen Douglas. As far as I know the ships there(Glenmallan) use Finnart to re-fuel on their way back out to sea.

Anyway, wee story:
I told a divey Girlfriend a few years ago that I'd found a huge ship in Loch Long and had discovered the bell with H.M.S. Ark Royal on it. She then went and tried to tell folk of my 'major' discovery until somebody pointed out that the Ark Royal is the British fleets capital aircraft-carrier, that it had almost certainly not been sunk in Loch Long and was perhaps just visiting. The little petal!

@radar- There is a Finart( one 'n') Bay somewhere nearby as well.

PK