Transport / Dry dock delays cause further NorthLink cancellations
THERE are further cancellations on the NorthLink ferry service due to the Hrossey being delayed in returning from dry dock.
She was due to return to service on Sunday (24 March) but an issue with the rudder during scheduled dry dock maintenance has pushed this back.
Operator Serco NorthLink says it is hoped the Hrossey is back in service early next week.
This has caused knock-on cancellations to the northbound Saturday sailing and the southbound Sunday sailing.
This is on top of weather related cancellations to the Lerwick calls of sailings tonight (Thursday) and Friday.
Due to the dry dock schedule plus the cancellations, it means the next passenger sailing to or from Lerwick will be Sunday’s northbound trip.
Stuart Garrett, managing director of Serco NorthLink Ferries, said: “The MV Hrossey is currently in dry dock for annual maintenance and was due to resume normal operations on Sunday 24 March.
“However, during planned maintenance on the rudder an essential component has seized. Because of this, and the knock-on remedial work, the ferry’s return to service is unfortunately delayed.
“As the provider of the lifeline ferry service for the Northern Isles we understand the knock-on effect for both our customers and the communities we serve. The dry dock team is working to safely complete the additional work as quickly as possible.
“We cannot put an exact timeframe on when we expect the Hrossey back in service, however what we can say is we hope it will be early next week.”
To maintain passenger sailings to both Orkney and Shetland, the Hjaltland will be held in Aberdeen on Saturday and will sail at 5pm on Sunday to Lerwick via Kirkwall.
The customer service team will continue to keep passengers updated.
Freight sailings on Thursday and Friday have been cancelled due to the weather but are expected to resume on Saturday.
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