News / NorthLink talks this week
TALKS on how to minimise the impact of the Scottish government’s attempts to save money on the NorthLink ferry service will be discussed in Orkney and Shetland this week.
Shetland Islands Council, Orkney Islands Council and the transport partnerships ZetTrans and HiTrans will meet with the ferry company and Scottish government officials in Kirkwall tomorrow (Wednesday).
The move follows last week’s shock announcement that the government intend to save £1 million on the NorthLink service between Lerwick, Kirkwall and Aberdeen by forcing the two ferries Hjaltland and Hrossey to run on two rather than four engines, cutting fuel costs.
NorthLink say the move will only add an extra hour to journeys between the three ports, leaving direct runs between Lerwick and Aberdeen unaffected.
However the government said that they also intend to consult on further “efficiencies” during the winter months, interpreted generally as reducing the service to a single ferry in the low season.
The announcement was met by an outcry in the isles, especially as it came out of the blue with no consultation.
SIC infrastructure committee chairwoman Iris Hawkins and ZetTrans transport development manager Ken Duerden will be in Orkney for tomorrow’s meeting.
A special meeting of the SIC’s external transport forum has been arranged for this Friday to report on the outcome of the meeting to the wide range of stakeholders who will be hit by the changes to the service.
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