Extra Shetland ferry on agenda

A ferry service between Caithness and Shetland has been brought back onto the agenda amid hopes that it could help alleviate concerns over capacity on the current NorthLink service from Aberdeen.

Orkney operator Pentland Ferries and Gills Harbour in Caithness are behind the idea, which would see a ferry run between the top of the Scottish mainland and Shetland during the summer months.

It is expected that the potential service would need financial support from the Scottish Government, which could prove difficult to secure.

However, Pentland Ferries managing director Andrew Banks said the idea is an option that Transport Scotland could look into when considering the next Northern Isles ferry contract.

“Run between the top of the mainland and Shetland”

The issue was discussed this week with community and business representatives in Caithness.

Fares on ferries to Shetland and Orkney from Aberdeen are set to fall next year as the Scottish Government introduces a new pricing structure based on a road equivalent tariff variant, but this is expected to cause capacity issues both for passengers and freight customers.

Banks said if “there’s a demand for it, we’d certainly look at it in more depth”. But he admits it is unlikely to happen any time soon due to the limited prospect of the private company receiving financial support from the government, which already subsidises NorthLink’s services.

A spokesman for Transport Scotland said: “This proposal is a commercial decision for Pentland Ferries. Services to the Northern Isles have been subject to an extensive STAG (Strategic Transport Appraisal Guidance) study which is due to be published soon.”