Ve Skerries Lighthouse

A remote and remarkably exposed lighthouse located on the low-lying island of Ormal, one of the dangerous rocks and reefs that comprise the Ve Skerries lying to the west of the Mainland of Shetland. The Ve Skerries Lighthouse comprises a white-painted concrete tower which rises to 14.6m (48 feet), anchored by tensioned steel bars which are embedded up to 5m (16 feet) into the bedrock. It was built in four months during the summer of 1979 to safeguard the route to the Sullom Voe Oil Terminal and replace an illuminated buoy, which had first been deployed in 1932 following the loss of the Aberdeen trawler Ben Doran two years previously. The structure was designed and built by R. J. MacKay. This automated light is powered by batteries and has a range of 11 miles (17 km). It is remotely monitored from the Northern Lighthouse Board Headquarters in Edinburgh. There is a helicopter pad situated on the rock near the lighthouse tower.


Use the tabs on the right of this page to see other parts of this entry arrow

If you have found this information useful please consider making
a donation to help maintain and improve this resource. More info...

By using our site you agree to accept cookies, which help us serve you better