News / Exporters demand better freight service
SEAFOOD exporters from Shetland who lost tens of thousands of pounds due to poor weather delaying shipments this winter are stepping up their campaign for improvements to the islands’ transport service.
Strong winds caused delays and cancellations to NorthLink’s passenger and freight service during February, adding to disruption brought about by the company’s refit schedule.
The industry met the board of ferry operators NorthLink on board the Hrossey in Lerwick harbour on Wednesday, where they presented their concerns about the resilience of the service in bad weather.
David Sandison, of seafood trades body Shetland Aquaculture, said that they had been given a fair hearing by the board and would now be making suggestions to the government about improving the service prior to the new ferry contract being awarded next year.
The industry wants the contract to stipulate a replacement vessel is brought in during the annual refit schedule, when Shetland relies on a single ferry for several weeks; they want ships to be directed to diversionary ports at Rosyth or Scrabster whenever Aberdeen harbour is closed due to strong easterly winds; and they want to re-examine the freight timetable.
A new freight timetable that involves extra visits to Kirkwall harbour on the northbound trip from Aberdeen twice a week will be assessed when the pilot programme ends in May, but it is putting pressure on Shetland exporters, especially during poor weather.
Mr Sandison said: “The things that we are looking for are not in NorthLink’s gift and some of them are contractual matters so we will be approaching the government ourselves.”
The specifications for the new ferry contract must be drawn up by May, which gives the industry just six weeks to lobby the government for changes.
The tendering process is expected to begin in July with the new contract coming into operation in the summer next year.
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