Alasdair, who became Harbourmaster in 2022, has retired following eight years at the Port Authority. He first joined in 2017 as Berthing Master and Marine Pilot, bringing with him over four decades of maritime experience. His career spanned subsea construction, offshore wind farm development, and a wide variety of other industries over the last 45 years.

In addition to his role as Assistant Harbourmaster and Marine Pilot, in more recent years, Captain Smith took a sabbatical in 2019 to serve as Master of the vessel “Pressure Drop” during the landmark Five Deeps Expedition. This project successfully identified the deepest points of each of the world's five oceans and achieved the first manned submersible descents to those depths.

As Alasdair steps back from day-to-day operations, the Port Authority has confirmed the appointment of Martin Graham as the new Harbourmaster. Martin assumed the role at the beginning of April, bringing with him a wealth of operational expertise through previous positions at Gulfmark UK in the oil and gas industry and latterly on SOV’s working for Edda Wind in the offshore wind industry. He initially joined Stornoway Port in May 2024 as Assistant Harbourmaster.

Meanwhile, Chris Macdonald has also been appointed as new Assistant Harbourmaster, strengthening the leadership team at a time of continued growth and ambition for the port. Chris enjoyed 20 years at sea, five of which were on container vessels and bulk carriers and the last 15 years with Tidewater Marine on a variety of offshore support vessels in the North Sea and worldwide.

Alex Macleod, Chief Executive at Stornoway Port said: "I wish Alasdair all the very best in his retirement. His leadership, professionalism and knowledge have been invaluable to both Stornoway Port and to me personally throughout his entire time here. As we thank him for his service, we also look ahead to this new chapter under Martin Graham’s stewardship, at a time of great growth and excitement for the port — particularly as we continue to bring key infrastructure projects like the Deep Water Terminal into full operation."

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