:00:00. > :00:08.You can pick up to a speed of between five and six knots, please.
:00:09. > :00:13.at the cutting edge of maritime technology...
:00:14. > :00:26.Although I'd like to! HE LAUGHS
:00:27. > :00:29.You've got to be on the ball. You've got to be alert.
:00:30. > :00:32...in the most challenging conditions...
:00:33. > :00:37.If your feet get caught in that, it'll drag you over the side.
:00:38. > :00:47.LAUGHTER Oh, my God!
:00:48. > :01:18.Every year, 8,000 ships pass through the harbour.
:01:19. > :01:26.Ships that battle daily with the brutal North Sea.
:01:27. > :01:34.It's why the Skandi Inspector, a ship that's 34 years old,
:01:35. > :01:40.Morning, sir. Just, er, watch out for...
:01:41. > :02:08.They use ropes to pull the ship forward.
:02:09. > :02:12.Keep pulling! You've got loads of slack!
:02:13. > :02:17.That is if they can land them on the deck.
:02:18. > :02:22.Just watch him trying again, I can guarantee he won't get it.
:02:23. > :02:25.Oh! HE LAUGHS
:02:26. > :02:28.It's all right! They're coming to help you!
:02:29. > :02:34.Come on, Stuart! HE LAUGHS
:02:35. > :02:38.The shortest guy there! That how I like it!
:02:39. > :02:48.With all the ropes attached, Frankie can bring the ship into position...
:02:49. > :02:57.That should be far enough forward. Magic.
:02:58. > :03:09.Once they close the gate at the entrance...
:03:10. > :03:14...the process, which gives dry dock its name,
:03:15. > :03:22.but because of the amount of power they use,
:03:23. > :03:24.you have to start one and then the other.
:03:25. > :03:29.Once you see it kicking in like that, you know that it's started the pumps.
:03:30. > :03:33.The water passes through a series of pipes, into the harbour.
:03:34. > :03:40.That's it, I'll let you go! HE LAUGHS
:03:41. > :03:48.It takes five hours to pump the dock dry.
:03:49. > :03:52.Only then can they start the massive task ahead.
:03:53. > :03:54.There'll probably be engine work done to it
:03:55. > :04:27.The harbour generates more than 500 million for the local economy...
:04:28. > :04:36.who rely on the constant traffic for their livelihood.
:04:37. > :04:40.See if you put on heavy metal or Whitesnake, you're dead!
:04:41. > :04:43.You've had Whitesnake, ZZ Top and Meat Loaf.
:04:44. > :04:45.I never mentioned Meat Loaf. You did so.
:04:46. > :04:52.# Unforgettable! # Who sang that again?
:04:53. > :04:57.I've forgotten! THEY LAUGH
:04:58. > :05:10.One of her customers is having a problem with his mobile.
:05:11. > :05:20.If you go in here and you go onto the cloud, you nelly, you'll get it!
:05:21. > :05:23.You do ken we close at one! SHE LAUGHS
:05:24. > :05:29.You can put your apps on. See, simple setup!
:05:30. > :05:31.You'll get a clap in the app in a minute!
:05:32. > :05:34.Aye, and I'll stick this phone where the sun disnae shine.
:05:35. > :05:38.Montrose?! THEY LAUGH
:05:39. > :05:41.But this is a very special evening for Val.
:05:42. > :05:45.A couple more of them, we'll get them put up,
:05:46. > :05:50.and then that'll be all this just done.
:05:51. > :05:58.and Val's boss Jill has just had her offer accepted.
:05:59. > :06:03.I cannae imagine my life at all without here.
:06:04. > :06:06.Somebody new could've bought it that could've come in and said,
:06:07. > :06:10."We're nae wanting yous. We're nae wanting the staff."
:06:11. > :06:13.Everybody laughs. They say, "You're nae wise, you.
:06:14. > :06:17."It's only a pub." I said, "It's nae just a pub to me
:06:18. > :06:27.This pump'll be going right up your jacksie!
:06:28. > :06:46.Jim, you're a sad, sick, deranged man!
:06:47. > :06:55.For boatman Alan Cowper, it's work as usual,
:06:56. > :06:59.tying or untying the boats that are heading out to the North Sea.
:07:00. > :07:05.Beautiful! These are the days you're glad you're a boatman.
:07:06. > :07:12.But then again, this is summer in Aberdeen, so you better enjoy it!
:07:13. > :07:22.I'm just making it look easy! HE LAUGHS
:07:23. > :07:31.What a life! Never worked so hard in all my life!
:07:32. > :07:42.neither had to look far for their replacements.
:07:43. > :07:46.Gary Morris is Norman's 21-year-old nephew.
:07:47. > :07:50.Basically, right now, we're waiting on the Volstad Viking
:07:51. > :08:06.Working with Gary has been a revelation for Norman.
:08:07. > :08:12.I mean, he can be a bit of a scatterbrain at times, but...
:08:13. > :08:17...old head on young shoulders, you cannae do it.
:08:18. > :08:20.You've just got to let them find their way.
:08:21. > :08:25.I don't call him Uncle Norman at work, though.
:08:26. > :08:38.That's what you're wearing a hard hat for!
:08:39. > :08:49.He has to step up and do the business, sort of thing.
:08:50. > :08:55.I'm not too sure if we could ever live up to them,
:08:56. > :09:02.HE LAUGHS COUGHS Just almost as good.
:09:03. > :09:26.It's mid-morning on the NorthLink Ferry,
:09:27. > :09:32.which runs daily between Aberdeen and the Northern Isles.
:09:33. > :09:35.And staff are preparing for an invasion of...
:09:36. > :09:44.We're off to the rally in Shetland. We'll catch the boat,
:09:45. > :09:49.same as everybody else queuing up here!
:09:50. > :09:53.Every year, Shetland holds the Simmer Dim rally.
:09:54. > :10:06.At least 300 bikers descend on the island from all over the UK.
:10:07. > :10:10.You meet lots of people who you haven't seen for a year.
:10:11. > :10:14.Mwah! SHE LAUGHS
:10:15. > :10:23.On a normal crossing, there are a handful of bikes.
:10:24. > :10:26.Here we go again! Today, they have well over 100...
:10:27. > :10:32...and loading's started early for second officer Steve.
:10:33. > :10:37.I'm just making sure everything's going to plan.
:10:38. > :10:42.It's quite a sight when they're all aboard.
:10:43. > :11:16.They're just constantly... just constantly coming on.
:11:17. > :11:21.Each ship is surveyed twice every five years.
:11:22. > :11:26.Dale's Dry Dock is one of only two left in Scotland
:11:27. > :11:40.a team of around 80 men will take her apart...
:11:41. > :11:48.Up you go, Terry, once it's clear of the ground.
:11:49. > :11:53.The anchor and chains will be checked for wear and tear...
:11:54. > :12:01.There's heaps of stuff that can go wrong with this.
:12:02. > :12:06.That's in the oil. That means there's a problem somewhere.
:12:07. > :12:09.That's going to need a fair bit of machinery.
:12:10. > :12:15.But the biggest job is here, in an area known as the moon pool.
:12:16. > :12:20.A construction support vessel has to be able to launch an ROV,
:12:21. > :12:25.or Remotely Operated Vehicle, safely down these two pillars.
:12:26. > :12:29.The wear and tear on both of them, it was just far too much movement.
:12:30. > :12:33.It was causing problems, it was snagging.
:12:34. > :12:37.It's not very good when you've got the ROV sitting on the end of that.
:12:38. > :13:00.Chock-a-block. WARNING SIRENS WAIL
:13:01. > :13:07.Captain Nigel Barnes is ready to set sail.
:13:08. > :13:24.We're just providing thrust to clear these two supply boats.
:13:25. > :13:39.Come round to the middle of the cut. Port ten. Port ten!
:13:40. > :13:51.All right, sir? Carling, please. Pint of Carling.
:13:52. > :13:56.There are two bars on the ferry and both are full.
:13:57. > :14:00.Hi, sir. What would you like? Just a pint. A pint.
:14:01. > :14:18.Mark Smallwood and his son Vincent are Simmer Dim virgins.
:14:19. > :14:20.I wanted to head south but I was outvoted.
:14:21. > :14:24.We ended up coming north instead, which is silly, really, isn't it?
:14:25. > :14:30.Some passengers have come on rather more...
:14:31. > :14:40.We have the one and only caravan on the boat, I believe,
:14:41. > :14:48.We're interested in the birds and the wildlife. And walking.
:14:49. > :15:01.although they do look a bit intimidating, some of them!
:15:02. > :15:06.We're here to have a good time, enjoy ourselves,
:15:07. > :15:32.It's shift change at the Boatman's Bothy.
:15:33. > :15:40.He's got his feet up! THEY LAUGH
:15:41. > :15:44.since his son started at the harbour.
:15:45. > :15:48.At the beginning, I was just... it was just a nightmare.
:15:49. > :15:52.I says to Norman, "I'm just worried sick all the time."
:15:53. > :16:00.He was wanting him to know everything, do everything,
:16:01. > :16:06.And while they're on the subject of Alan's shortcomings...
:16:07. > :16:15.He won't put his hand in his pocket. He's so tight! What a tight...
:16:16. > :16:18.Actually... Actually, I've got to defend him on that!
:16:19. > :16:20.He bought me a Burger King the other day,
:16:21. > :16:27.Get a doctor! That boy's ill! There's something wrong with him.
:16:28. > :16:30.We're going to be exactly the same as these lot!
:16:31. > :16:52.SCOTT: No! LAUGHTER
:16:53. > :16:56.The pillars are going to be removed through an access hatch at the top
:16:57. > :17:05.to lift out ten tonnes of reinforced steel.
:17:06. > :17:14.We're going to want to cut out that hole now.
:17:15. > :17:16.There's a lot of money's worth up in the top of here.
:17:17. > :17:25.That just comes out of our pocket money!
:17:26. > :17:35.Crane operator Kevin Innes is also feeling the pressure.
:17:36. > :17:39.You've got to plan heights, weights, distance.
:17:40. > :17:42.I mean, if you don't set the crane up right,
:17:43. > :17:44.there is a lot of people's lives at risk.
:17:45. > :17:53.If the crane topples over into the dock, I mean...
:17:54. > :17:56.# One way or another I'm gonna find you... #
:17:57. > :17:58.Zip your language or I'll zip it for you!
:17:59. > :18:03.Val's always had a unique way of dealing with the customers.
:18:04. > :18:09.When Jill comes in, I'll nip up and get changed.
:18:10. > :18:20.Aye, a leather basque! If I could get one to fit me!
:18:21. > :18:48.It's 7am and the ferry's arriving in Lerwick.
:18:49. > :18:51.Everybody's coming down, slowly but surely.
:18:52. > :19:16.are heading towards the small village of Vidlin.
:19:17. > :19:25.when the sun briefly dips below the horizon.
:19:26. > :19:29.Or at least it would if there were any sun...
:19:30. > :19:39.Most people camp, despite the weather.
:19:40. > :19:48.All the way from sunny Wirral to this, eh!
:19:49. > :19:57.Up north is the wrong direction, it's too cold and wet.
:19:58. > :19:59.But we were outvoted so we had no choice.
:20:00. > :20:03.It's not raining so we can't complain. He's gone and said it now!
:20:04. > :20:15.Shetland is rich in archaeological sites,
:20:16. > :20:22.with a landscape dominated by hills and inlets.
:20:23. > :20:26.Nowhere is more than three miles from the sea.
:20:27. > :20:32.ROCK MUSIC Arrgh!
:20:33. > :20:42.Tactics! Tactics! MAN LAUGHS
:20:43. > :20:48.It's the first of a mammoth four-day binge.
:20:49. > :21:17.work is under way to prise the pillars from the frame of the ship.
:21:18. > :21:21.With the hatch removed, you can see all the way down,
:21:22. > :21:29.You're bound to get jammed before you hit the bottom, aren't you?
:21:30. > :21:43.Kevin's biggest challenge is that he can't see what he's lifting.
:21:44. > :22:04.Just give us five minutes till I get down inside the hangar.
:22:05. > :22:11.It's going to be a testing few minutes for all of them.
:22:12. > :22:16.OK, come up on the left slowly, up on the left slowly.
:22:17. > :22:54.Just when it seems to be going well...
:22:55. > :22:58.BEAM CLANGS LOUDLY What the BLEEP is that?!
:22:59. > :23:05.What BLEEP happened there, man? What happened there, Gary?!
:23:06. > :23:17.A stud has caught on the edge of the hatch.
:23:18. > :23:24.It needs to go to your right just a little.
:23:25. > :23:36.OK, up on the wire slowly, up on the wire.
:23:37. > :23:49.You're all right, Kev, up you go. Up you go.
:23:50. > :23:58.OK, that's you clear of the masts, clear of the deck.
:23:59. > :24:10.All right, clear. OK, down you go, down you go.
:24:11. > :24:15.All right, Kev, that's you off. Up you go.
:24:16. > :24:18.It's been a good day. Hopefully, by Monday,
:24:19. > :24:23.we should be able to start dropping the new ones in.
:24:24. > :24:39.That'll be it for the day. That's enough. More than enough.
:24:40. > :24:41.Alan can understand why his son Scott
:24:42. > :24:50.You build up your muscles! You do feel it some days.
:24:51. > :24:58.I've seen him coming home and saying, "That was heavy today!"
:24:59. > :25:02.I told him to go to the gym and get built up!
:25:03. > :25:04.He always worries when his son's at work
:25:05. > :25:09.because he's aware of the dangers he faces.
:25:10. > :25:19.they're still your boy or your girl, you know?
:25:20. > :25:36.I'll declare it all clear and then he'll head off.
:25:37. > :25:41.Hopefully, my uncle is, like, a little bit impressed with me,
:25:42. > :25:44.maybe a little bit, even though he'll never admit it.
:25:45. > :25:52.You never know, if I have kids, I might bring them in.
:25:53. > :26:29.I hope naebody stands on my frigging toes!
:26:30. > :26:35.I can't believe we're doing this tonight!
:26:36. > :26:37.That's my glad rags... CHEERING APPLAUSE
:26:38. > :26:47.Yes! Go for it! CHEERING
:26:48. > :26:50.Owner Jill would struggle without her best-known barmaid.
:26:51. > :26:56.ALL SING # Big wheel...
:26:57. > :27:13.MUSIC: "Proud Mary" by Tina Turner
:27:14. > :27:17.Tonight the pub's full... CROWD SINGING
:27:18. > :27:21...not just with boat guys, but with stag and hen parties,
:27:22. > :27:24.for whom going round the harbour pubs is a right of passage.
:27:25. > :27:47.the C A, as it's commonly known between the rest of us.
:27:48. > :27:53.But Jill and Val - they make Aberdeen.
:27:54. > :28:12.It's just been an ace night! It's been magic!
:28:13. > :28:28.Coming up, Keith battles the elements...
:28:29. > :28:34.and the mate went, "Oh, it's rough" and I was like, "Oh, no."
:28:35. > :29:08.Hello, I'm Ellie Crisell with your 90 second update. A terror suspect
:29:09. > :29:11.with an electronic tag is on the run after leaving a mosque disguised in
:29:12. > :29:13.a burka. Mohammed Ahmed Mohammed was last seen