Decent service
Sir, I write with a feeling of trepidation and exasperation at the ferry situation. Trepidation because I hope to make my fifth visit this year to the island to see in the New Year but fear the ferry will be cancelled while I am enroute as happened during my journey in August. At least I have taken the hotelier’s advice and taken out travel insurance to cover any financial loss.
But I am exasperated at the news this week that it will be years and many more millions of pounds of public money required to get a new ship on the service.
Recently, a private operator introduced a new ferry, for the Gills Bay to St Margaret’s Hope crossing to Orkney, costing only £14million. The MV Alfred can carry 430 passengers and 98 cars or 54 cars and 12 articulated lorries and is claimed to be the greenest ferry operating in Scotland.
The MV Glen Sannox hopes to carry 127 cars or fewer cars and 16 heavy vehicles.
The money which has been spent to date could have bought two of these catamarans to shuttle back and forth and still have many millions left to invest in the retraining of Ferguson Marine’s staff who are ‘incompetent’ - according to Scottish minister Derek Mackay.
It also seems to me more likely that the twin hull design of MV Alfred would be more resistant to side wind and swell so would not roll as much when adjacent to Brodick pier.
Is there no possibility of a private operator which can manage a decent service? Yours, Ian A Brown, Blairgowrie.