News / Ferry changes bad for sport
CHANGES to the NorthLink ferry timetable imposed unilaterally by the Scottish government this week will have a detrimental impact on sport development in Shetland.
The council’s sports development officer Bob Kerr said yesterday (Thursday) that the arrival of NorthLink’s faster vessels had been the single most important factor in boosting sport development in the isles.
The Hrossey and Hjaltland replaced older and slower vessels operated by P&O Scottish Ferries, which ran the service up until 2002.
NorthLink cut journey times by up to six hours enabling young sportsmen and women to compete at a national level without spending too much time on travelling.
It also made weekend return trips to tournaments possible without the need for overnight accommodation on the Scottish mainland, thereby significantly cutting costs of such ventures.
Earlier this week, the Scottish government told NorthLink to run their vessels on two rather than four engines, adding an extra hour to the 14 hour trip between Lerwick, Kirkwall and Aberdeen.
Mr Kerr warned that this was a backwards step, undermining the valuable work that had been done since the arrival of the NorthLink vessels almost eight years ago.
“Any proposed changes to the timetable will have a significant impact, for the sports community in particular,” Mr Kerr said.
“We rely on the NorthLink ferry service. It is the most cost-effective means of having groups of youngsters and adults being able to access sport competitions on the mainland.
“With the current timetable as it stands, a sailing from Aberdeen at 5pm means that it is difficult for groups competing in Aberdeen or further afield to get back to the ferry in time.
“Any further erosion of that timetable means they would have to stay overnight in Aberdeen. That adds to the cost and they would have to wait an extra day waiting for the next ferry sailing.”
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