News / Harbour’s largest guest
MV GEMINI, the accommodation vessel currently berthed at Dales Voe north of Lerwick, will soon be relocated to Scalloway Harbour.
The village’s harbour will provide a more sheltered berth for the vessel and its residents in poor weather as the winter months approach.
The SIC said the Gemini, which provides floating accommodation for up to 600 workers from Petrofac who are helping to build the new gas plant next to Sullom Voe, would be relocated “as soon as a suitable weather window becomes available”.
It will then berth alongside the south quay at Blacksness Pier for the next few months, becoming the largest vessel to enter Scalloway Harbour.
The cruise ship is fully self-contained, providing catering and accommodation on board. It is 164 metres long and has a beam of 22 metres.
Scalloway’s harbour entrance was dredged to a depth of 8.7 metres in 2013 to straighten the approach for larger vessels and the south quay has an available depth of 6.5 metres.
Another accommodation “flotel”, the Bibby Challenge, is already berthed at Scalloway with around 300 workers from BP who are working at Sullom Voe Oil Terminal.
SIC infrastructure services director Maggie Sandison said: “It is welcome news that a vessel of this size is now able to berth in Scalloway Harbour.
“These workers will add to those already now based in Scalloway and we are in discussions with Petrofac and local agencies on how to ensure that the community can best absorb these extra numbers with minimal impact.”
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