Transport / Tourism association chair suggests privately run ferry could offer capacity solution
THE CHAIR of the Shetland Tourism Association has raised the idea of a privately operated ferry service to alleviate capacity issues on the NorthLink boats.
Amanda Hawick said it was time to “think outside the box” when it came to adding capacity on the external ferry service.
She also described the NorthLink boats filling up at peak times as “economic suffocation” for Shetland.
Hawick suggested little has changed regarding capacity over the last decade-plus with the publicly-funded NorthLink service, apart from demand continuing to rise.
She said she is not interested in rehashing old debates about capacity and instead is keen to focus on the future and potential solutions.
An enhanced freight boat with passenger cabins has been mooted as replacements for existing cargo boats the Helliar and Hildasay, but these would be some years away – subject to government funding being in place.
Hawick instead has raised the idea of a private consortium perhaps forming to look to running its own service, potentially to at least Orkney.
“Our boats are now at capacity. As chair of the Shetland Tourism Association, it’s within our strategy and our remit to look at growing businesses and growing tourism in Shetland,” she said.
“If we’re at capacity with the boats, we’re not going to be able to do that.
“There’s plenty of people in Shetland that’s bright, intelligent, they’ve got vision and motivation…and [could] possibly look at a different solution.”
Hawick said a “great solution” could be to get a private company to run a ferry “between at least Orkney and Shetland”.
“If there were negotiations and we had a company maybe willing to take on that service, it would be early talking stages but I think the Shetland public would really need to have a say in it as well.
“But you would at least have more capacity to get people to the island and it may take some of the stress off NorthLink.”
The NorthLink service is operated by Serco NorthLink under a contract from government agency Transport Scotland, with boats running between Lerwick, Kirkwall and Aberdeen in addition to a service between Orkney and Scrabster.
In the past there have been some private freight-only boat ventures running from Shetland, with haulier Streamline operating a container ferry up until 2017 and Norse Islands Ferries briefly running a service in the early 2000s.
Hawick meanwhile said some people involved in fishing believe a ferry link between Denmark and Shetland could be of benefit to the isles.
She said tourism continues to grow in Shetland, aided by the popularity of the Shetland crime drama TV show and its worldwide audience.
The tourism association chair has a guest house in Lerwick, and she added that “hundreds of my guests every year are here in Shetland because of that TV series”.
“Who knows what’s going to happen in the future, but instead of sitting waiting and waiting and waiting then maybe it’s time to start doing,” Hawick added.
She added that tourism can create a lot of jobs for Shetland “if done properly”, saying that “we need to sustain a healthy vibrant community for our bairns and grandbairns”.
Hawick also welcomed the increased reliability reported at Loganair under the leadership of new chief executive Luke Farajallah but said pricing of flights to Shetland remains a barrier to some.
“We need to make Shetland an affordable destination to come,” she added.
“When people are finding it cheaper to fly to Spain for a weekend than come to part of their own country in Scotland, it’s time to start asking questions why.”
Chair of Shetland’s external transport forum Moraig Lyall, who also leads Shetland Islands Council’s environment and transport committee, also highlighted capacity issues on the NorthLink service at pinch points for both cabins and deck space.
The councillor reiterated however that current operator Serco NorthLink is working under a six-year £45 million contract from Transport Scotland.
“I struggle to imagine that a private operator would be able to provide an alternate service that would operate profitably and hence be sustainable,” Lyall said.
Meanwhile the “freighter flex” cargo ships which may come into the Northern Isles ferry service could bring additional passenger capacity – but they are not expected to be in service before 2028.
This project is led by CMAL (Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd), the company which owns vessels on behalf of the Scottish Government, with Transport Scotland and Serco NorthLink.
In an update released last month, CMAL said the Scottish Government is “supportive” of the freight vessel replacement project.
“The procurement and construction timelines of the project are subject to the completion of appropriate business case processes, availability of funding, and approvals from Scottish ministers,” it added.
“However, given wider pressures on public funding, there is currently no funding allocated for future stages of this project, and the funding position is extremely challenging, which may impact the planned timeline to take forward procurement.”
Lyall said, however, that the new freight ships are “frustratingly slow in coming”.
“We still await the allocation of capital for their construction, something we continue to press the Scottish Government to make available without delay,” she added.
Speaking during a visit to Lerwick on Monday about the topic of the proposed new freight vessels, first minister John Swinney acknowledged there was “enormous pressures” on public finances but said the Scottish Government will “do all that we can to meet the needs of communities”.
CMAL also said it has been actively looking to purchase second-hand tonnage for the Aberdeen to Kirkwall/Lerwick route, with three vessels taken forward to the purchase stage thus far.
“Unfortunately, it was not possible to conclude the sales in these instances,” the company added.
“CMAL continues to explore the market for additional second-hand tonnage that could enhance current services and provide additional resilience to the fleet.”
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