the twentieth-century swing from an industrial economy to a manufacturing and service-based one has forced Leith to keep up with the times. Oil has now replaced coal as Scotland's most significant export making Leith port a service provider for the many companies which operate in the North Sea oilfields. Untreated pipes are now imported from the Far East to be coated at the port in preparation for underwater installation. The port has been modernised to offer other services such as a computerised stock-control system, hydraulic cargo handling equipment and access to transportation networks. Cargo handling methods have come a long way from the days of the nineteenth century when hundreds of porters were paid to carry barrels of wine, grain and wool from ships to horse-drawn carts.