News / High winds stop ferries and oil flights
SEVERE north westerly gales gusting over 80mph have stopped ferries and flights in Shetland on Thursday.
North Sea oil workers were stranded offshore as winds were due to get even stronger during the afternoon, while Shetland’s oil airport at Scatsta was closed all day and oil loading at Sullom Voe terminal was suspended.Ferries between Shetland’s islands were suspended during the morning, leaving residents stranded for the second day running after ferry crews joined Wednesday’s day of action against pension reform.
All were back on by lunchtime, except Whalsay which was due to resume at 2pm.
The NorthLink ferry Hrossey battled its way north from Aberdeen through mountainous seas, only leaving the city’s port at 3.15am and due in to Lerwick at 2.30pm.
However Sumburgh airport managed to keep operations going, with just one flight cancelled from Aberdeen during the early morning.
Police in Lerwick were called out to a two vehicle road accident at Gremista at 11.20am, and at 7.15am they were called to a building in South Commercial Street where debris was flying off the roof of a building.
Just before 9am fire fighters were called to the Quoys housing estate to secure a trampoline that was loose in the high winds at Arheim, and at 10am they were called to the former Judane knitwear factory where window frames and masonry had become unsafe.
The strongest winds were recorded around 8.30am when they reached more than 70mph in Sullom Voe and more than 80mph at Lerwick.
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