Transport / Barrier to tunnels ‘political’ not economic, action groups say
THE MAJOR barrier to tunnels in Shetland is political – not economic, according to action groups campaigning for fixed links to Yell and Unst.
Chairs of the two tunnel action groups have written an open letter as disruption begins to the Yell Sound ferry service today (Thursday) due to crew sickness and a lack of available cover.
There is a single vessel running a shuttle service. It comes after similar disruption to Bluemull Sound in previous weeks.
The disruption prompted former Yell Sound ferry skipper Steven Spence to speak out.
The tunnel action groups said they backed Spence’s views and called for a “sustainable ongoing staffing solution” for the ferries – and added that “some transparency and honesty in relation to the current situation would not go amiss”.
In their letter the groups also said they “do not believe that the major barriers to constructing subsea tunnels to our islands are economic, social, environmental or even financial – they are political”.
The groups are now in discussions with Norwegian, Scottish and Faroese companies regarding technical assessments of potential Yell and Unst tunnels using money gained through community fundraising over the last 18 months.
Meanwhile representatives of Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL) recently visited Shetland to see the condition of the SIC’s ferry fleet and how it operates.
CMAL is part of the Scottish Government and owns 37 ferries; 32 are leased to CalMac for use on the West Cost, and the other five are leased to NorthLink Ferries.
A spokesperson for CMAL said the purpose of the trip was to “provide a holistic overview of the condition of port infrastructure and vessels”.
Minutes for the last meeting of the Scottish Government organised Shetland ferry replacement taskforce group said: “SIC is liaising with CMAL to review the fleet and port infrastructure. There may be options to consider standardised vessels for the Scottish fleet.”
SIC leader Emma Macdonald said: “Although our vessels are ageing and therefore more at risk of breakdowns, they have been very well maintained.
“We are exploring all possibilities for replacement vessels, and whilst our longer-term aspirations are for fixed links for many of our routes, we know that we need to replace vessels before these become a reality.”
She added that the SIC needs to work with the Scottish Government on finding a “shared solution” on ferry replacements.
“We currently receive revenue funding from them, which has had a significant positive impact on our budgets within this area,” Macdonald continued.
“We haven’t settled on how we tackle the capital issue but there is recognition from Scottish Government now that this needs to be a shared problem which is a big step forward.
“We recognise that we need to work with them to find the best solution, but we want to ensure any replacement vessels can be utilised across Scotland once we no longer need them due to the building of tunnels.”
The SIC leader added that the funding model for tunnels has been something which has been discussed in principle with both governments, but there is no fixed position yet.
“We do know that this needs to be something we all work on together and need both governments to work together to allow us to deliver these transformational tunnels for our islands,” Macdonald said.
Meanwhile the Yell and Unst tunnel action groups’ letter said the inter-island ferry service “cannot ever be financially sustainable” and said tolls on tunnels could pay off loans used for constructing them.
They added: “What we would ask of any politician or government official visiting our islands, is that they take the time to speak to the communities affected by this and do not solely rely on the opinion of those who may have a vested interest in the status-quo.
“We would also ask that they read our report written follow our visit to Faroe.”
The groups added that even if new ferries appeared “tomorrow” it would not solve the transport issues communities face.
SIC chief executive Maggie Sandison said regarding recent disruption that council management is working on proposals to alleviate the staffing pressures on the inter-island ferries which are predominantly caused by an aging workforce leading to more staff retiring than joining the service.
These proposals include a more flexible rota to make working conditions more attractive.
Speaking at the end of June regarding recent disruption on Bluemull Sound, SIC environment and transport committee chair Moraig Lyall said there were “limited numbers of people are signed off to operate the ferries and nationally there is a shortage a qualified masters”.
Meanwhile the Yell Sound disruption on Friday will see a single vessel running a shift timetable this afternoon with a single vessel. Bookings will be available.
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